Enrapture
by Vee-Samaa
Summary: Three years after Naraku's defeat Kagome fights with her past memories. Across time an old acquaintance is doing the same. A chance encounter leads them all into a trap together. Can they make it out alive? And will they be the same afterwards?
1. Memories

Hello Everyone! And welcome to my very first fanfic (ahh I'm nervous, but I'm also very excited to get this going)! SessKag has been the only pairing for me ever since I first saw the anime when I was about 13-14). I really hope you all will enjoy my story, as well! Some characters will be deceased and some will be new, so please bear with me in this aspect! I am hoping that I can successfully write the fic that has been stuck in my head for ages now!

Side Note: I'm not sure how soon I will be updating as I do have a job/art that I work on/other misc life things, but if this fic works out and I get enough people liking it I will be more than encouraged to keep going! I have planned out atleast 5 chapters roughly so far, so I will be posting them as they come out!

Side Note #2: This Chapter will be a little dark. I know it's the first chapter, but I'd like to get it out of the way so I can develop my plot from here! I apologize in advance! ^^;

Enjoy!

The flash of silver hair caught in streams sunlight woke Kagome from her deep sleep. The room was dark, and shadows of girlish furnature could be barely made out in the late hours of the night. The thin blue curtains fluttered in the breeze from the window slightly opened just beside the bed. Dreary eyes glanced over at the small green alarm clock set on her nightstand. " 3:35...Great..." she mumbled, turning herself over to face the illuminated red numbers and scowl at them slowly. She shuffled her feet under the quilted covers before turning back over and laying completely on her back. She glanced up at the ceiling and sighed. Staring up at the faded white paint began to calm her down from the startled awakening she just had.

'Why does this keep happening? It's been three whole years already. You'd think I would have gotten over this by now. A normal person would get over this, right?' Her thoughts always ended up sour when she was left alone to think like this, which is why she never stayed alone in her apartment for too long. She had been waking up lately almost every night at this same time with those same dreams running through her head. Ayumi wouldn't be home tonight because she had a special meeting for work out of town. The fact that the apartment was empty wasn't helping Kagome's thoughts stay in check, either, and she hated it.

She slowly crept out of her bed and opened the door to her bedroom, glancing back at the clock. The illuminated numbers had changed to '3:40' now. She sighed once more in her head before turning to walk down the carpeted hallway to the bathroom. It was still dark and she didn't bother with turning the lights on as Ayumi kept a small night light plugged into the bathroom outlet for late-night bathroom trips such as this. Kagome turned the cold water on and let it run through her hands. The tempurature slowly became colder, and colder, and soon her hands felt numb, but she didn't remove them from their place in the sink. She stared up at her darkened reflection in the worn mirror infront of her. Her eyes were dull, and her hair was slightly crooked on the right side. She tried to flatten it out with her hands but failed and gave up almost immidiately.

'Is this really what my life is now? Day in and day out, I sit here like this, just a shell.' She thought bitterly as she slowly stared down into the sink at her increasingly numb hands. 'It should be better now, things should be better. But they aren't. They never were. I only put on a smile for Ayumi and Mom, and Sota, and Grandpa, because they knew I was hurting. They knew this wasn't easy, and them giving me pity wasn't going to change anything.' Her hands started to shake at where her mind was taking her, and she reached up, turned the faucet off, and wiped her hands into the soft towel hanging on the wooden hook to her left. Exiting the bathroom and heading back down the hall to her bed, she glanced at her bedroom door with languishing eyes. The door creaked open and Kagome gradually made her way to the window. The curtains waved with the night breeze, and Kagome took in a deep breath, remembering her past, and all that happened on that one day. The day everything was supposed to be okay.

(Flashback)

"Inuyasha, stop! You can't take it anymore, please, just back off for a bit, we can continue this when Miroku and Sango return! We can't do this alone, Inuyasha!", She screamed, her voice becoming hoarse in her urgency as she watched her lover dance back and forth in a deadly struggle to keep his sword in check. She could hear the manical laughter from Naraku ringing in her ears, and she wished she didn't feel so helpless right now.

"Keh! Shut up! You and I both know I could handle him by myself! Even if we have to wait I don't mind holding him off! Go get Miroku and Sango, then! I'll be fine here, you idiot!" He yelled across the worn and cracked field to her, waving his free hand dismissively.

"Me!? An idiot!? Inuyasha you're the idiot for suggesting something like that!" She wailed, waving her bow in the air. Her anger was cut short by the sound of a loud snap, and then everything infront of her was slowing down. The sight of Inuyasha's body slowly backing up and then crumpling into the ground. His final blow had beaten the devilish hanyou, but he had also recieved a wound that Kagome couldn't quite see from her position behind him, but she knew it was fatal the moment she laid her blue eyes on him. 'The blood, there's too much blood...' Her eyes slowly and mechanically moved down to the ever increasing pool below him. She didn't know she was at his side until she could hear his panting and feel the wetness from the gash completely down the front of his body soaking her clothes.

"No...", She breathed, her heart aching so much she felt like she had also been struck by Naraku. "No...Inu-", her voice cracked as he coughed up blood; the red substance spewing into the air above him and landing in droplets at his neck and on his chin.

"Kagome...Kagome are you hurt? Are-...are...you safe?", his voice was lower than a whisper and gargling from the blood filling his damaged lungs and chest cavity.

"NO! INUYASHA, STAY WITH ME, PLEASE!", she began to scream as loud as she could, pulling his head up to her shoulder and holding it tightly. The blood beginning to seep through her clothes and onto her skin, leaving a sickly slimy feeling all over her body. But she didn't care. She couldn't register what was going on. Her mind was telling her over and over 'This is just a dream, this is just a dream. It can't be real. None of this is real.' She wrenched at her clothing, trying to tear off a piece of it as her shaky voice could be heard from her own ears, choking out sobs as she tried to bandage the wound, but it was far too big. "PLEASE, SOMEONE!", she was bellowing out, her sobs appearent in her cracking voice. Miroku and Sango had gone off only for a few minutes to grab supplies. This wasn't supposed to be happening; none of this was supposed to be happening. Her sobs became heavier and harder to control as Inuyasha's body began to slowly lose its fight.

By the time Sango and Miroku had returned it was too late. He was gone. Naraku was gone.

But that didn't matter to Kagome. Naraku didn't matter anymore. No one mattered. No one but Inuyasha mattered. And she wished in that moment that she could bring him back. Bring him back and stop the ever-growing pain in her chest. The pain that split her in two, and then split her again in so many different ways. Her hands shook and she stared down at the lifeless body of her now deceased lover.

'This isn't happening. This can't happen.' Were the last thoughts she could muster before falling backwards into Miroku's arms unconcious.

(Flashback End)

Her eyes gazed down at her hands, and she remembered the feel of his hair and the way it stuck to her sweaty palms. She remembered the feel of his blood as it seeped through her clothing, and colored the barren ground below them a dark hue of maroon. She remembered his eyes as they lost their fire. She remembered the sound of his breath as it slowly dragged along his lips.

She remembered his smile.

A dull pain twinged within her chest. Somewhere deep down it still hurt. After all of these years, Kagome thought she had forgotten what that pain felt like. She learned to live with it as one does when something like that happens. Her hand slowly ghosted over her chest, and she pressed into it, feeling the gentle beat of her heart, and she hated herself for such a thing. She hated being alive, when he wasn't. The unfairness of the world couldn't be measured in her eyes. The unfairness of losing someone so close to your heart that you might as well have lost yourself, for living on another day without them would be unimaginable.

But she did it. And she kept doing it.

There wasn't any other way to live for awhile. She didn't speak much except when spoken to by her mother, or her younger brother. Her friends saw the pain in her eyes, and knew they couldn't understand such a thing, but they tried to cheer her up anyways. It had taken her almost a month to tell her mother what had happened to Inuyasha. She didn't have the courage to muster up the words before then, and when she did, she collapsed into her mothers arms, and sobbed. She sobbed like she did on the day he died, only worse. Because he wasn't there anymore. His soft face wasn't in her lap. His warm eyes weren't gazing up at hers, as they once did. Inuyasha was consumed by the soil, as all bodies eventually are. Once she gained enough composure to make such a thing as a funeral, her, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou had buried him underneath the Goshinboku. They hung his subjugation beads across the stone, and etched his name across the hard surface before saying a few prayers.

Kagome got halfway through Miroku's session of prayers before she broke into tears, and began to hear a keening, only to realize it was coming from herself, as she fell to her knees and rested her head on the stone. She let out most of her pain on that day, but not all of it. No, it wouldn't ever go away. At least not now.

She thought that over time, maybe, there would be some way to escape the pain, and the memories of him, even if it was for a little while. But there wasn't. There never was. It was just dull, and watered-down pain. Left over pain that she didn't want anymore. Left over heartache that she didn't need anymore. Left over love, that she couldn't give anymore.

Kagome languidly strode the few feet to her bed and slumped into the covers. She didn't bother with looking at the clock now, she just wanted to sleep. Her head buried in the covers, she willed herself back to sleep, and prayed that the dreams wouldn't come again. She prayed they'd let her be even if it was only for a little while. The distant sound of birds beginning to chirp and welcome the morning sun was stifled by the cool fabric of the pillow against her face, and the unshed tears behind her eyelids.

I know you guys probably hate me for writing such a dark chapter, and it's only Kagome by herself, stewing in her sadness, but it will get better from here on! Or rather, it wont be quite this bad. I hope you will stick with this story and please leave reviews of this chapter if you want! I love critiques!

-V-Sama


	2. Recollection

Hello again! I am so thankful for the people who have read my first chapter so far! You have no idea what it means to even have my writing looked at, let alone reviewed! So, thank you! So much! c:

Onto Chapter 2! This one will be dark like the first one in some places, but it is another chapter that needs to happen (you will see why once you start reading!) After this darkness I will be starting the story somewhat because I was displeased with how short my last chapter was (even though I needed it to end where it did)! So be ready for a much longer chapter!

Side Note: If you have any questions concerning my story and what is happening (if you need something cleared up), please let me know! I would love to include more detail if that's what the readers would like!

The western palaces walls seemed so tall at this time of day. No matter how many times he looked upon the pale blue hue that the bricks gave off in the afternoon sun, the shadows that played along the edges of the courtyard made them seem hundreds of feet high. They weren't actually such heights, and Sesshoumaru knew this. He didn't know why he was sitting in the courtyard today when he still had piles of land treaties and yokai documents to look through. He could hear the shuffling of servants steps along the lengthy wooden panneled floors that led into the dining halls. The evening meals would be served soon. He didn't care for meals. Not right now. His mind was wandering places he would rather not think of, and thus he had lost his appetite.

"Sesshoumaru-Sama! Milord! Your evening meal has been served! Please come and eat something, milord!", Jakens shrill voice came from twenty feet away at the courtyards gate. Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly, his claws twiching in agitation. Jaken always did interrupt him when he was deep in thought. Not that these thoughts were of any importance, but his disruptions irritated him none the less.

"Jaken.", His firm voice called as he gently stood in one swift movement.

"Y-yes? Milord?", Jaken stammered, worried he had angered his Lord for surely the billionth time.

"Jaken. You do know it is not wise to interrupt this Sesshoumaru while he is alone with his thoughts in the courtyards.", Sesshoumaru's cold gaze slanted ever so slightly in Jaken's direction. The toad flinched and looked to the ground.

"H-hai Milord!", Bowing so low his nose almost touched the ground, Jaken fevereshly tried to make ammends for interrupting Sesshoumaru at such a time.

"Get up, Jaken. Your groveling is quite bothersome.", His voice sounded only inches from Jaken. He stood silently above the small demon, staring down at him with a blank expression.

"Yes! Very well milord!", His shaky voice caused Sesshoumaru to silenty sigh in exasperation.

They both walked down the now silent wooden floors to the dining hall where the rest of the palace was now having their meal. Sesshoumaru always found himself to be late to gatherings, even if they were meals, just because he did not enjoy the company of the palace inhabitants much. As he found himself infront of the shoji doors leading into the main room to be seated, Jaken hurredly opened them for him and then took a low bow, offering him a gesture to move inside. Sesshoumaru gazed at Jaken for a moment and took his slow steps towards his seat.

After the evening meal Sesshoumaru and Jaken retired to the Lord's study and finished off any documents that needed tending to due to Sesshoumaru's lack of interest in them earlier in the evening. Jaken quickly tried to finish off any of the documents he could on his own, as he knew Sesshoumaru, although a Lord, didn't enjoy the political aspects of now ruling over his father's lands. He participated in all of the gatherings, meetings, and councils, but he found himself drifting off into other places of thought after only a little while. He wanted to be out, wandering his lands, making sure no unruly demons dared step where they shouldn't. That's what Sesshoumaru enjoyed nowadays. Killing. It was the only thing that brought him peace. The only thing that kept those heedless thoughts from slithering into his mind as they always did when he was left to his own devices without anything to slice or maim in the process.

"Everything seems to be in order, milord.", Jaken stated from across the room, overlooking a few scrolls and sorting through what he could on some shelves reaching his height limit.

"Very well, Jaken. You may go.", His voice let slip a bit of tiredness, and he held back a yawn as he turned his head to look out the window at the night sky.

"Thank you, milord. May you have a most restful sleep.", Jaken mumbled before bowing low and shutting the shoji doors to his study with a quiet tap. Sesshoumaru's gaze lifted from the window after a few minutes and he stood up, gently gathering the scrolls on his low wooden desk and placing them in a small chest to his right. He turned and walked a few feet to the shoji doors behind him and walked through the rooms leading to his sleeping chambers. Once he arrived there he shuffled unhurriedly out of his formal haori. He didn't wear the normal armor he would when traveling when he stayed at the palace for long periods of time. He donned a simple deep blue haori with faded crescent moons lining the sleeves and simple black hakama. He glanced over at his armor hanging neatly on display across his sleeping chambers and wished he could once again wear such an outfit.

Sesshoumaru didn't necessarily like his clothing and armor, but he didn't necessarily like any sort of clothing for that matter. The only reason he liked his armor and regular haori and hakama was because it was what he felt comfortable in. It was what he knew, and what he knew was what he preferred to some fancied up royal semblance of clothing put on him to shout his status to the world as if they didn't already know the fact. His thoughts went sour as he thought of the annoyance of having to put on this idiotic outfit again tomorrow but with more layers as he had a special meeting with a few local yokai soldiers that wanted to join his ranks. Even the thought of having to stand the company of more fools brought an unsightly frown to his face.

He laid down after getting into his simple white sleeping yukata and turned to once again gaze out of the low window just next to his bed roll. He often found himself gazing out of windows quite often, and had the servants build more of them throughout the palace so he could enjoy the fresh air when he had the time to do so. He felt constricted with this life. He felt weary, and dull. He felt unlike himself. His sigh echoed through the vast room and he slipped the covers over his shoulder as he attempted to sleep. But as always, to no avail, so he stayed like that in his bed roll until he finally got annoyed with the idea of laying there like a halfwit and stood to sit by the window. His arm leaned onto the window's edge, he glanced out into the main courtyard. The wind was rustling the leaves on the trees, and causing the sakura blossoms in the sakura trees to fall off in succession with his slow glances across the branches that danced in the breeze. He felt somewhat at peace in times like this. But he didn't feel peace for long.

He remembered how much she loved to dance in the sakura blossoms during spring. He remembered her wide grin, and the way she laughed. A laugh that left everything bare, and at the same time opened everything up to the world. A freeness he could not know for himself, even if he sought it out. The girl he saved. And the girl he would save again. Only to have her taken from him. And then taken from him again, until his mother had helped him bring her back. He remembered his emotions flowing wildly like forestfire, catching everything inside of him aflame and leaving nothing left but charred, raw emotions. He was afraid at that time. He was afraid he'd lose her, or even worse, himself. After he had her back he had sworn he would protect her with all of his strength. All of the strength his father had shown him to use. He knew his father would laugh at him for such thoughts, and a timid scowl appeared on his face as he glanced up into the stars.

She was gone from this world now. He knew this. He could not bring her back then, and he could not bring her back now. It did not matter to dwell on things. The logical half of his brain fought with his other, although scarce, more emotional half, and he warred with himself, and willed himself not to feel the pain he did when he saw her body go limp, and Naraku's predatory glazed over eyes as he dealt the final blow. Dealt the final blow to Rin. To his rin. He remembered the rage. The all-consuming rage that came over him as his beast took control. He had exploded into his true form just before his idiot brother and the miko along with their other companions arrived. They all looked surprised to see him there, but he did not care. All he cared about was ripping the disgusting hanyou's head from his shoulders, and clamping it down between his jaws.

What he didn't realize was that Naraku had been planning this scheme all along, and had locked Sesshoumaru inside a barrier just before he could strike. He then thrust the barrier into some kind of void. A void full of demons. Sesshoumaru had assumed that before the battle ensued Naraku had enlisted the help of some type of priestess, for no other type of barrier could hold him, or so he guessed. The barrier didn't hold him long, but once he had broken free with a simple thrust of his bakusaiga, he had also sliced through the demons that remained in that realm with him.

Little did he know, outside of the void that Naraku had cast him into, Naraku was being defeated by Inuyasha's group, and Inuyasha was slain in the process. Once Naraku was slain, the void shimmered and opened to let the daiyoukai out. Sesshoumaru was surprised to see his brother covered in blood, and the miko sitting in the pool of his blood, weeping. He did not care much for their plight because the rage still consumed his body whole, and he rushed over to where he had seen Naraku last. But he was gone. He had stood there, smelling and scenting the air to see if he had tried to run or use some underhanded tactics to escape, but he did not, for Inuyashas other companions arrived and glanced up to see Sesshoumaru merely standing a few feet away from them.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru. I am sorry my friend, but Naraku seems to have been slain.", the monk had blandly stated. He was now holding the unconcious miko in his arms, and the taijiya behind him nodded solemnly before glancing down at the miko with a saddened look in her eyes. Sesshoumaru's eyes bore into the monk's own, and he stood there, just staring for minutes on end until the monk shuffled his feet and turned to lay the miko against a nearby tree so he could tend to Inuyasha's body. Sesshoumaru glanced over at his brothers body, and thought of the irony of it all. He really did hate his brother, he hated him for always rushing in like a fool, and always thinking he knew what was best. He hated him for being treated differently, being loved by his father. He hated him for being accepted, when Sesshoumaru had to fight for his acceptance. Had to prove it. But now, it all seemed so ridiculous. It all seemed so pointless that he didn't know what else to do, and so he just stared. He stared at his dead brother, laying in a pool of his own blood and insides. He stared at the unconcious miko, and he stared at the companions of his brother, trying to mend what had happened so recently with the deep hurt in their eyes as they did so.

After the monk and the taijiya had taken his brothers body and carried it off to rest on the firecat so they could move on, Sesshoumaru glanced once more at the group, and wished somewhere, deep down, that he could go with them. In that one split second, he felt lonliness. For the first time in a long time, he was lonely. His Rin was dead now. She couldn't be saved. Naraku had taken her from him, and his brother had taken Naraku from him. He couldn't take out the revenge he felt he so justly deserved ten times over, and he couldn't quell the rage that had spilled over in his heart. And so he frowned, turned, and walked off into the distance, off to find Jaken and inform him of the events that played out earlier in the day.

Sesshoumaru scrutinized the stars above his window. He peered at them with such ferocity that it almost hurt. He wondered that maybe Rin was somewhere up there. Somewhere where the kamis would keep her safe. Somewhere she could be free from all of the troubles of the living world. He hoped this much, even though he was not the religious sort, he would pray for such a thing if it kept Rin's soul at peace. His clawed finger tapped the wooden window sill and he watched as the sakura blossoms gracefully floated down into the pond in the courtyard, mixing with slight droplets of water before sinking into the dark depths of the pool. Sesshoumaru's dull eyes followed each petal as it sank inevitably into the abyss. He watched as they were slowly consumed, over and over again, in the neverending process that was life. He felt so much anger, even now, and he hated himself for it. He hated what he had become, and at the same time he hated himself for thinking in such a manner. Rin would not have approved of these dark thoughts that swam through his mind like the koi in the pond a few hundred feet from his window. Though he tried to live his life somewhat in her memory, and view things as she did, he found he could not. Rin was a child, and she was ignorant of most things. This is what Sesshoumaru forced himself to believe, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished he could be more carefree. More like Rin.

He drifted off to sleep gradually, crooked against the window sill as the sakura blossoms lazily danced in the breeze outside, and the stars flickered above. The branches of the sakura trees creaked ever so slightly, and one single sakura petal floated across the courtyard from a low hanging branch, completely off of the path of the other sakura petals, doomed to land in the pond. It fell unto Sesshoumaru's hand as he slept, his dreams suddenly filled with the bright girl of his past, the images of her running through fields of wildflowers in late summer, gazing up at him with her wild grin, and dancing among the grass as she used to do. The sound of her laugh reverberated through his mind as his memories flowed through his dreams, and he sighed in his sleep, at peace for just this moment, when he could be with her as he wished. The solitary petal smoothly caressed his hand as the wind blew, and then took flight into the night air after a few moments, and then slowly drifted down, and into the pond.

But the petal didn't sink. It just floated atop the water, sliding along the slow silvery reflection of the crescent moon in the sky.

And there's chapter 2! I hope you guys liked it! It was kind of dark like chapter one, but as I said above, I needed to get it out of the way to make story progress! I hope you all enjoyed a slightly longer chapter this time. :) Please leave reviews or messages! It motivates me to keep going!

Thank You!

-V-Sama


	3. Those Close To My Heart

Those Close To My Heart

Ahh you guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! Even if it's only one or two words! It's keeping me going in writing this fanfic and I appriciate every last read as well. I have begun posting the story on , too. So hopefully I can widen my view count. :)

This chapter is lighter, yay! But not completely. I still need to keep with the flow of things, of course, so bear in mind that this fanfic is categorized as dark, so there will be a few sad moments! ^^;

Mutnodjmet Dokuga: Sesshoumaru indeed could have used Tensaiga to save his brother. But you have to remember all of the hundreds of years Sesshoumaru spent trying to please his father, and gain his respect, only to find out that he had sired a hanyou son, and was willing to risk his life (and he died in the process) to save him. Sesshoumaru built up so much hate for Inuyasha that I'm not even sure myself that he looked to him as a younger brother. He had also recently just lost Rin, so the thought of anyone else but her was just wasnt crossing his mind in those moments. I'm sure he felt remorse afterwards (even if it was just a sliver) for not thinking of bringing him back, but either way, he chose not to for the sake of my story as well! I hope I cleared that up as best I could! *scurries off to write chapter 4*

"Kagome!", Ayumi's muffled voice eventually sharpened out as Kagome looked up to notice her roomate and best friend standing over her. Kagome had appearently zoned out while watching television and Ayumi's annoyed expression definitely hinted that she should move over to make room for her on the couch. After shifting her position to make room for Ayumi, Kagome resumed her blank stare into the brightened television screen.

"Kagome, aren't you supposed to be at work right now?", Ayumi nudged her slightly with a forefinger, staring her down critically.

"Oh shit! I completely forgot!", Kagome yelped, gasping, and running off down the hall to get ready. Once she was finished she was dashing down the stairs of the apartment and off into the street, waving frantically to Ayumi. But what Ayumi never knew, and probably never would know, is that Kagome didn't really even have a job. She arrived at her old home and greeted her mother with a small hug, and waved to her grandfather who was out in the backyard working on some unruly weeds.

"Mama, did the trinkets sell for alot this time?", Kagome inquired, her eyes drifting over the shelves in the place where her room used to be. They converted it into a small room filled with artifacts and jewelry from her time in the sengoku jidai, her mother and grandfather had been selling the items for high prices and giving Kagome most of the profit, which in turn served as her "job" more or less. This had been going on for a few years and everytime she left for "work", she would leave for weeks on end and go back into the sengoku jidai to collect more items in her travels. Her mother disapproved of the idea at first because of everything that had happened with Inuyasha, she didn't want her daughter to hurt herself even moreso than she already had. Kagome dismissed such arguments and told her mother it was for the best. Her mother simply nodded and didn't think to press the issue further, and so Kagome was readying herself to return down the well for the next few weeks.

"They sure did, dear. Grandpa had just finished selling the last one from a few months ago.", her mother cooed, smiling softly.

"Oh good, I'm glad.", Kagome nodded, while grabbing a slice of apple from off of the table infront of her and biting down into the crisp fruit.

"I packed extra bandages and some mending tools incase your miko robes get a tear in them like they did last week.", her mother huffed as she tried fitting more things into the already brimming backpack that Kagome was to carry with her on her trip there.

"It's fine, mama, we go through this every time I go there. If I run out of something I will be fine, Yoshiko usually has things prepared on her side as well and the items in the sengoku jidai aren't too impractical.", Kagome smiled genuinely at her mother. She appriciated all of the help and effort her mother was giving her towards this type of task. She knew she didn't approve wholeheartedly, but for the sake of Kagome's happiness she had let it be. Kagome really loved her family and felt an overwhelming sense of warmth when her mother returned the smile she sent just seconds ago.

The door behind Kagome clicked open and Sota sheepishly peeked through into the room they were now standing in. His expression turned to surprise as he saw his sister standing there, and he immidiately burst through the small doorway to give her a chaste hug. "Good to see you too, Sota, you big brat.", Kagome taunted, ruffling his hair a bit before smiling.

"Wow, thanks alot sis, now I have to go fix my hair again for school.", Sota grumbled as he leaned out of the doorway and headed off down the hall to the bathroom.

"He's still as ridiculous as ever.", Kagome smiled after her brother through the small opening in the doorway. Her mother simply nodded and got back to stuffing more items in the now colossal backpack. Kagome used to use her yellow one on long trips, but after a small run-in with a group of scorpion demons, one of them had split through the fabric instantaneously, using it's acid spray with agile perfection and barely missing her own back in the process had Yoshino not been there to fend off the creature.

Kagome was excited to see her twin companions. She missed them dearly even though she had been gone a week or so from her last trip down the well. Her friends kept her sane in her dark moments, and they kept her happy moments true. She met the twins not long after Miroku and Sango settled down in a small village not far from Inuyasha's forest. Yoshiko was a traveling priestess by the time they met, and her brother Yoshino was in her service, protecting her in her travels as she went from village to village, tending to the lesser and sick folk.

The younger twin, Yoshiko, resembled Sango in some ways. She was kind, forgiving, and above all, she was brave. Though her massive bouts of shyness might counteract her braveness in some situations, Kagome looked to her as a younger sister. She loved Yoshiko dearly, having known her for almost two and a half years now. Yoshiko always knew when Kagome would be thinking of Inuyasha during their travels, and would instantly try to lighten the mood with trivial chatter, just to keep her mind off of the departed hanyou. Whether it be about spiritual priestess incantations, or the simple dirt that might find itself on her tabi during their afternoon walk out of the villages to the small hotsprings nearby, she kept talking. Talking to ease Kagome's pain, and Kagome truly adored her for this. She was also quite jealous of the way Yoshiko looked. Yoshiko's face was pale as moonlight, and her eyes a soft dark brown color like her brothers. Yoshiko's hair hung low like Kagome's now did, but was tied in a small knot at the bottom. Her bangs were short, and cut straight down the middle to part on either side of her face. Kagome always thought she looked like a hime with her hairstyle, but Yoshiko furiously denied such a thing. Her eyelashes were long and her lips full and soft. The way she carried herself was gentle, and slow, as if to not harm any creature in the process of her movements. Yoshiko was also a priestess, like Kaede was, and in her village at home she kept mostly to healing the sick and warding off small demons.

Her spiritual powers were appearant when attacking youkai, and she used a bow like Kagome did, to keep her distance, but her spiritual powers weren't quite as strong as Kagome's. Many men that Yoshiko had healed in prior villages would proclaim their burning love for Yoshiko when she had returned to said village to check on old patients, and would tell her right on the spot that she was a rare beauty to be seen by commonfolk. But their spouting of love and promises was interrupted quite fast by her twin brother. Yoshino would always do the same thing, he would stand infront of Yoshiko and say 'she is not yours to have!' in a bellowing voice, and hold his sister close to his chest. He always fiercely protected his sister's chastity with his life. Kagome surely thought he had a sister complex the first time she saw one of these moments, but she admired him for it, as she knew what it felt like to protect one family member younger than yourself.

As for Yoshiko's twin brother, Yoshino, he was not a monk or any type of spiritual man. He was a simple solider that was employed in the local army of the leading Lord in their home village. Yoshino was tall, very tall, infact. He simply towered over his twin sister. Yoshiko was a measly height of 5'0, when her brother reached almost 6'2. Had they not looked alike, she would resemble his daughter, or be claimed to be as so. Yoshino was also very well-built, his muscles no doubt from many rigorious training sessions back in the Lord's army, prepping each morning for endless sparring and stance drills. His chiseled features had Kagome almost stumped for words the moment she laid eyes on him. His deep brown eyes, his wide and full grin, and his 'I am the most beautiful man in the world' demenor. He had light chin stubble and a few scars on his bare arms from battles she was sure he fought. He always joked with Kagome that she should marry him so he could truly become Yoshiko's sister. He was Kagome's age, too. But the one thing that stopped her in her tracks, and made her laugh almost wholeheartely when she first saw him, was the fact that he was the spitting image of Koga. Though of course Yoshino was a simple man, and not a demon, it made Kagome think it quite amusing none the less. His shoulder-length hair was held in a low ponytail, and it was just about as long as Koga's hair when Kagome used to see him. She thought it was funny how he also wore his hair in a ponytail as Koga did. But it was very fine and straight like his younger sister's hair. His lengthy black bangs swept across his face to the left, some hanging on each side of his face to frame it perfectly, and he often made annoyed grumbles at the offending locks, but refused to cut it because he had said it made him look more elegant, even though his actual position would state otherwise. The twins both had jet-black locks, as Kagome had, but it seemed to be more dull than hers, for some reason. She assumed it was the hair-care products that people used in this time weren't the higher quality they were in her era.

Yoshino carried himself more loudly than his younger twin sister, in the aspect that he was quite clumsy and brutally honest. He would say if someone was getting on his nerves, or if he found someone attractive the moment he met them. This of course had gotten the trio into some bit of trouble over the years, and Kagome found herself offering her and Yoshiko's services moreso for apology than coin. But she still looked up to Yoshino in some ways. He was confident, and that was something she had, but she wasn't completely content with her confidence. Her confidence seemed lacking ever since Miroku and Sango had left her. After Inuyasha's death and some time for grieving, Miroku and Sango finally planned out their lives together. They moved into a village not far from Inuyasha's forest, where they could raise their children, and protect the half-demon's old lands.

Miroku had told Kagome not to worry in the aspect of protecting Inuyasha's grave, because Inuyasha was like a brother to him. And he would give his life to keep his memory in place. Kagome was happy for that fact, even if it hurt to think of the memory itself. Miroku meant well, she knew this, and yet she felt so badly for not taking up guard over Inuyasha's forest and the Goshinboku herself. She felt she owed that much to Inuyasha, and would hate to see the whole area be taken over by some lowly group of demons. Miroku and Sango had indeed settled down to raise their family, and they seemed to be quite happy the last time Kagome saw them. The village's people were happy to have a monk and taijiya so close to their homes, aiding them with small tasks, and keeping demons away from the new children that were being born. Though after some time, Sango and Miroku had begun fighting demons less, and less, as their children grew in numbers. One day Kagome was leaving the village, Sango offered for Kagome to take Kirara with her. Kagome refused outright, saying that Kirara belonged with Sango. But Sango gave her a tired look and told her that Kirara was seeing less action these days, and had begun to grow restless, causing the nearby villagers to get irritated with her late night mewling and protests to be outdoors.

Eventually, Kagome had agreed to take Kirara with her on that day, and now the firecat had been traveling with her and the twins ever since. The fact that they had Kirara also eased Kagome's load sometimes, when she had extra artifacts to haul through the well. The firecat was also an old friend of hers, and she liked the idea of having someone around who knew the pain she had gone through, though maybe not as much as she herself endured. The late nights beside the campfire when Kagome would be found crying herself to sleep, Kirara would cuddle closely to her chest, and purr. The small rumbling keeping Kagome's mind at ease if only for a few moments.

When Yoshiko and Yoshino had found out about Kagome's past, and everything that had happened, they were shocked. Not only was she a powerful priestess, but she had been in the company of a half-demon, and he was her lover. The idea to them was foreign, but not a bad one. The twins themselves agreed in the aspect of living one day equally with the demons who would share their lands. They didn't completely like the senseless fighting and battles they were drawn to each day. Although Kagome at first felt like she couldn't talk to her problems to the two siblings, she opened up over time, and would often find herself chattering away with Yoshiko about Inuyasha's old antics, or the way Sango's slapping of Miroku's face could be heard from miles away. Yoshino would be behind them and nod when he was spoken to, but he didn't make much conversation, even though he was such a loud person. He seemed to be more quite when in close company.

Kagome had also told them of Shippou, her old fox kit companion, and how she loved him as if he were her own son. She told them of the times they played together, and the things she had shown him from her world. But the one thing that she told them was that she had no idea where Shippou had gone after the battle with Naraku, and Inuyasha's passing. When she had become concious Miroku and Sango had told her that they couldn't find the kit, and that possibly he ran off to sort out the death of the hanyou on his own. The party had left Shippou to his own devices, thinking it best for him to come to terms with such a problem before talking to him about it, but he never returned. The group searched day and night for months on end to no avail, and eventually they just ended up talking to the villagers and people they passed by on the roads during their travel back to Inuyasha's forest. No one had heard of or had seen a small fox demon, but they promised wearily to keep their eyes out, as the miko before them was frantic about finding him.

Kagome remembered how hurt she felt, losing Shippou only moments after losing her lover. She felt betrayed by him in a way. But after thinking on the issue for awhile, she decided not to be mad at him, and just hoped that someday she would come across him again. But she never did, not for three whole years. Every time she entered the well the small thought of finding Shippou was in the back of her mind, and she swore she would uphold the promise to herself to find him. Yoshiko had sworn to Kagome that she would help her in her search, and Yoshino also agreed with a slight nod and a grunt when told of the situation. Kagome knew Shippou couldn't have gone far. He must have built a life somewhere near by. He must have survived. The slow thought of Shippou being killed by a rogue demon crossed her mind with a flash as she hugged her mother goodbye and stepped out onto the shrine grounds, heading for the opening of the well. She wouldn't think about Shippou much today. All she wanted to do right now was see her friends, and continue their journey in helping others. That's all she could do to keep Inuyasha's memory alive. All she could do to keep herself happy in this moment.

And there you have chapter 3! I could've definitely made it longer, but I want Kagome's trip out of the well to be in the next chapter, so chapter 4 might be longer. We'll see. Anyways, thank you so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming if you need something cleared up or are wondering about something I have written!

Thanks!

-V-Sama


	4. Interesting Events

Interesting Events

Chapter four! I tried to make it long and I am hoping you guys like it as well! Please leave reviews if you have questions or just want to let me know what you think! I'll be posting chapter 5 sometime later tomorrow. :)

The morning dew was slipping off of the sakura branches in the courtyard when Sesshoumaru awoke. Birds sang their songs high in the trees surrounding the western palace. He could make out a few faint smells from the foods being prepared down the many corridoors for the morning meals. He stood gracefully and walked over to his drawer full of royal clothing and looked at them with disdain. This day was surely going to be on the top list of the most annoying he has had in quite some time. A tapping knock sounded just outside the shoji doors to his sleeping chambers, and he stiffened up."Enter", Sesshoumaru's voice was hard as always. His two twin servants Ren and Ran stepped into the threshold, bowing lowly to their Lord. They were his personal servants, and tended to most of his needs, though he even thought that it was unneccesary most times. Ren and Ran were coyote youkai that had been serving in his fathers palace through the generations. Both of them had short shoulder-length, sandy-colored hair. Their bangs were tied up at the top of their heads in a royal fashion, and their servant's clothing a simple light blue color. They were raised to be the perfect servants Sesshoumaru never wanted. He preferred them to Jaken usually, just because they both kept to themselves and only spoke when spoken to. Ren was slightly taller than his brother but other than their height they were both exactly identical, and many confused them for the other on a regular basis.

"Milord, have you chosen your top haori for today's events? I shall suggest one if you like, milord.", Ren plainly stated, as Ran was sizing his Lord up to get his royal layers on him. Sesshoumaru shuffled uncomfortably at their close proximity. He never did like being scrutinized and doted on so closely, even if he had gone through this his whole life. He dismissively waved a hand towards Ren."You may choose what you wish. I simply prefer to get such tasks over with as soon as possible so this ridiculous day may be done with.", His words slipped icily out of his mouth. The thought of what was to come made his whole body irritable. He raised his arms as the twins began to fit him with the typical royal haori and a few more than obnoxious extra layers. He sighed as they finished and let them brush out his hair as he looked over a few documents Jaken brought in with his morning visit."Milord Sesshoumaru-sama, these are the documents you requested. I have already signed what I could and looked over everything that needs to be tended to. All we must do now is visit the troops and look them over. I am hoping milord is most pleased with them as they have traveled far from the East Palace to come here."The Eastern Palace was now taken up by a large group of hawk youkai, and was lead by their Lord named Masayoshi. Sesshoumaru had been good aquaintances with Masayoshi for several hundred years and actually aided him in taking over the palace grounds. Masayoshi was pale like Sesshoumaru and had long dark brown locks that hung halfway down his back. The hair was split into a top bun-like knot at the top of his head and tied with a red silken string, the same color of his house as well as the long silk wrapped around his waist which was tied in the back into a neat bow. His eyes were a bright green and he had one maroon stripe on each side of his face just under his eyes to signify his daiyoukai status. Masayoshi was calm like Sesshoumaru, but found fun in small things and got on Sesshoumaru's nerves more often than he'd like to admit. He was a gentleman but also very much a jokester and often taunted others into unneccessary battles of verbal intelligence. He always liked to prove himself and would often egg Sesshoumaru on into sparring sessions when he came to visit the Western Palace.

The hawk daiyoukai would be visiting with his troops this morning to offer his services and join Sesshoumaru's ranks in any way he could. Sesshoumaru didn't argue on such a topic as any more loyal demons would be more of a help than a hindrance at this time. There weren't any local threats, but he liked the idea of testing new soldiers to patrol his borders so he could free up more time to go out onto his lands as he pleased, once the time was right. Masayoshi didn't specify how many troops he had, even though Jaken seemed displeased with this fact, saying 'That insufferable youkai! He thinks us fools not to give us such important information! Milord, we must be cautious around a fool such as he!' Though Jaken was interrupted with a swift kick to the forehead as Sesshoumaru didn't want to put up with his antics right then. Sesshoumaru had contemplated just taking the eastern lands for himself. But seeing as Masayoshi was his ally, and a trusted ally at that, he saw no reason for it. The western lands were his home, and he was content with having this much. His thoughts were broken off as Jaken gestured for him to exit his sleeping chambers. He nodded to Ren and Ran for his sufficient dress and padded across the floor to step through the threshold and out into the hallway. Jaken hurredly dismissed Ren and Ran and asked them to inform the front guards of Sesshoumaru's impending arrival to the front of the palace.

As he slowly made his way around the palace, Sesshoumaru glanced throughout his surroundings to notice each and every servant, council member, solider, and aide aligning themselves to perfection for the guests that would soon arrive at the palace gates. He nodded to each servant and passed them by gracefully. Jaken of course was rambling on about the servants being lowly and how they should cut off their tongues for even looking Sesshoumaru in the eye. He simply sighed inwardly and kept his stride even. The gates to the palace were opening now and a massive unit of soldiers were stiffly marching into the yard. Sesshoumaru caught sight of Masayoshi immidiately and narrowed his eyes to notice the tall daiyoukai shouting commands to his soldiers. One of the soldiers tripped on the way into the palace because he was so distracted by how large and pristine it was. Sesshoumaru had seen the Eastern Palace only a few times and remembered it being half the size of the Western Palace in comparison. He was filled with pride in that moment to know what even in the way of palaces and buildings, his was always the best and the most sought after.

Jaken gestured to the few aides of Masayoshi's and then had directed them to the guard barracks to show them where the soldiers would be staying. Sesshoumaru elegantly approached Masayoshi and his troops which now stood at full attention to greet their new Lord and commander. Masayoshi turned and beamed up at sesshoumaru, clapping his hands together in excitement.

"Ah! Sesshoumaru my old friend.", Masayoshi's booming voice sounded from a few feet away as he gestured towards his troops. "Do you like what you see here? Are they not the finest warriors the east army has to offer?", his brilliant grin made Sesshoumaru's eyebrow twitch with agitation. He always hated that proud smile of his. It got on his nerves to no end. Sesshoumaru glared back at his beaming face and simply nodded.

"They are sufficient.", he stated. Folding his arms over his chest and looking at the front row of soldiers with critical eyes, looking at each and every one of their stances and form. He began to pace the column of infantry before him and his eyes stopped at their weapons. Each of them held a high quality samurai sword at their waist. The swords looked to be made from the best tamahagane Sesshoumaru had ever seen, save his own troops weapons. He didn't question Masayoshi on his weapon choice for the troops as a good sword would be agreeable for the armies he was forming. He began to reach the fourth or fifth row of soldiers when Masayoshi sighed loudly and tapped his foot in Sesshoumaru's direction. Sesshoumaru turned his head ever so slightly to look in his allies direction, only to recieve a very bored look from Masayoshi. Masayoshi spoke before Sesshoumaru could inquire as to why he was being given such a disrespectful glance.

"You can be assured my lord," Masayoshi put emphasis on 'my lord' in a sarcastic tone, "That every troop here is in perfect condition and they do not all need to be seen to individually. If you have such concerns you should have one of your lesser commanders do the task while we get some sustinance.", His smooth voice echoed throughout the courtyard to be heard by the servants passing by, who graciously bowed to the daiyoukai and headed off in the direction of the palace kitchens. Sesshoumaru glared back at him after calling Jaken over to handle the problem as he returned from the barracks with the aides.

"Jaken, see to it that our guests are adequately taken care of while I have a word with Masayoshi.", Sesshoumaru's bland voice sounded and he turned on his heel to head in the direction of his study.

Masayoshi followed suit with his arms behind his head in a bored manner as the soldiers were lead out of the yard and down the halls to the massive soldiers quarters by a frantic Jaken who fleetly replied "Yes, Milord, right away milord!", from across the yard, trying his best to avoid the soldiers swift feet as they pounded behind him in neat orderly succession.

By the time Sesshoumaru and Masayoshi reached his study Jaken and two other servants the names of which escaped Sesshoumaru had come into the room as well. He sighed inwardly as he knew Jaken had unfavorable news to share by the grave look on his face. Jaken bowed lowly, as did the servants, and Sesshoumaru nodded in his direction to get

him to speak. "Milord, it seems we are in short numbers in the kitchens. The head cook has requested that we hire more staff at once, milord." His nose was indeed touching the floor as he bowed and spoke quickly, for he didn't want to anger Sesshoumaru anymore with the current events already going on.

"You fool", he spat. "Take it up with our other workers that are not busy at the moment and have them assist him. I have other matters to attend to and do not wish to be bothered.", he folded his arms once again across his chest as he glared down at the toad.

"Y-yes milord!", Jaken choked out as he rose and bowed quickly to exit the room with the two servants in tow.

"That insufferable creature will be my undoing someday.", Sesshoumaru brooded, once again turning his attention to the scrolls on the wooden desk infront of him. Masayoshi simply laughed and leaned forward to speak lowly at the Lord.

"You know, you could always fry him to a crisp and serve him for an evening meal as well.", His booming laugh echoed through the great room, and Sesshoumaru smiled internally. The thought amused him but he was brought out of the small pleasure in his mind when Masayoshi picked up one of the scrolls from across the desk and examined it closely.

"It seems that the Southern armies are growing in strength. I would not like to assume they are causing a disturbance but it is quite suspicious to be raising the armies in such quantity at this time. They only recently ended a war.", Masayoshi's eyes languidly looked over the scroll once more.

"I do not know what to make of such a situation. I dare not cause problems we are in no need for.", Sesshoumaru directed his finger onto the map just infront of him for Masayoshi to glance at. "But it seems that some of the troops have been patrolling past this border and into the lands more north of here.", his clawed finger tapped a small space of the parchment just above from where he was previously pointing. Masayoshi nodded thoughtfully and then turned his gaze back onto the scroll he was still grasping in his own clawed fingers.

"I would suggest we send out a small patrol on the borders, and a few missives to the Southern Palace to inquire of their dealings with the North. It is then we should decide where to take this turn of events. If it should come to land disputes of a higher calibur, you know I do stand on your side, Lord Sesshoumaru.", Masayoshi gave the small hint of a smile and settled himself down into a more comfortable sitting position before placing the scroll in his hands back down onto the desk. It was then that a tap came on the shoji doors and Sesshoumaru glanced up.

"Enter.", came his calm voice. A servant just outside the doors opened them a fraction and quietly told them that the meal was prepared.

"Finally! I have been traveling all day and it has been quite the journey. The meal I am hoping will be to my liking?" Masayoshi looked to Sesshoumaru with a devilish grin, only to recieve an exasperated glare in return.

"Yes. Of course. How could I forget when you kept mentioning such things in your letters before arriving here.", Sesshoumaru gestured to Masayoshi to stand and they both gracefully exited the room and headed off to the dining halls where they would continue the conversation of border patrols when they could.

Kagome lugged her massive backpack over the lip of the well, and was immidiately attacked by Kirara's massive form, licking her face in a loving fashion. "Oh god, Kirara yes, it's nice to see you, but-", Her voice was cut off by another massive swipe of the firecat's tongue. "You don't have to lick me like that everytime I come back! I'm not going to be gone forever you know.", Kagome sternly tried to push the purring feline off of her in an attempt to get over the well's lip completely. As she stepped down onto the grass and looked up, she saw Yoshiko and Yoshino sitting nearby in the grass, enjoying some roasted fish over a small sun was beginning to set and they had decided to set up camp near the well had Kagome decided to come any earlier than planned. But she was actually a little late, and so they had begun to cook their dinner for the night. Yoshiko waved shyly in Kagome's direction as her twin got up to help Kagome set the backpack on the ground near them both. "Thanks, that thing is so heavy it almost broke my back this time.", Kagome huffed, reaching for her portion of the fish that Yoshiko was now dishing out to her into small wooden bowl. She monstoriously gobbled down what was in the bowl in mere moments, and Yoshino let out a hearty laugh at her actions.

"Didn't get enough to eat at your home, Kagome? That's a first! Ha!", His massive hand clapped her on the back and she coughed up what fish was still in her mouth.

"Damnit, Yoshino! You know I hate when you do that.", Kagome gritted through the food in her mouth. Yoshino chuckled once more and reached for the fish in his own bowl so he could take one massive bite, still smiling at his miko companion. Yoshiko looked onto her sisterly friend apologetically and glared up at her brother.

"I am so sorry, Kagome-sama. He is usually not this crude around women.", She calmly spoke as she took small bites of her fish, sipping minuscule swigs of water from the cup she had near the fire. Yoshino roughly moved the rocks below the fire and stuck a small stick inbetween the charcoal to get it to an adequate brightness.

"It's not problem Yoshiko, he's just like my younger brother sometimes.", Kagome mused, looking over at Yoshino as he shot her a full beaming grin. She and her companions finished their meal and set up the bedding for the night while Yoshino eventually went off to the hot springs nearby to bathe. After he had returned the women went themselves and Kirara took on her full form once again to guard them while they scrubbed off any dirt from the morning. Though Kagome wasn't very dirty, since she just came from her era, Yoshiko was covered in demon blood from an earlier fight with a small boar demon at the local village. Kagome noticed the blood and at first got worried, but then she remembered who she was, where she was, and what she had been doing for these past few years. Blood sometimes scared her in large quantities. She never liked to see it, even if it was coming from an enemy.

Yoshiko gently patted her arm in the warm waters and gave her a knowing look. Kagome shook her head immidiately and smiled at Yoshiko. She knew what she was about to ask. What she always asked when they were alone."No, I didn't have any dreams last night. I'm fine, really.", She lied. Lately she was getting worse and didn't want to worry her friend anymore than she already had in the past. Yoshiko was strong, and she was always there for Kagome, but Kagome didn't want to whine about her old problems. She knew that if she told Yoshiko she'd get the same routine of being fawned over and tended to as she had always done. Kagome just wasn't going to have that right slowly scrubbed off any excess dirt and talked about the events of Yoshiko's day. Kagome told Yoshiko about the recent artifacts she had sold, and Yoshiko in turn told her about the villagers that had been asking about the other miko that usually traveled with her. Yoshiko had simply said that Kagome was at another village, because she wasn't a very good liar and didn't think of anything else on the spot. Kagome laughed with her when they talked about the day, and she felt a little lighter than she had in awhile. Whenever she ventured back through the well and back to her apartment, she would perpetually fall into the loop of sadness she was doomed to find in her own company. The two women headed back to the campsite after drying off and getting dressed back into their miko garbs with Kirara bringing up the rear. They noticed Yoshino had already dozed off to sleep and decided not to wake him. He usually would stay awake during most of the night keeping watch over them, but since this was Inuyasha's forest they decided it was mostly safe to let him get some rest, and get rest themselves. Kagome had stopped using her sleeping bag about a year ago when it finally tore on some small rocks, and just used a small bed roll like Yoshiko did. It served her well and didn't take up much space in her backpack as the sleeping bag did.

Kagome leaned down onto her bed roll and slipped into the thin blanket as Yoshiko was doing the same. Kirara sauntered up in her now smaller form and rested herself on the end of Kagome's bedding, trying to avoid laying on her feet. She got a small pat on the head from Kagome before the miko laid down and adjusted herself to the hard ground. Yoshiko had gently pulled her hair out of its knot and was combing through it before settling down into her own sleeping position and quietly drifted off to sleep as Kagome gazed up at the clear night sky before she herself fell into a slow slumber. The breeze rustled the trees and the grasses around them, and Kagome breathed a heavy sigh as she willed away the dreams that attempted to come again tonight.

When the sun rose over the hills Yoshino had stirred just before Kagome and let out a hacking cough. This in turn woke Kagome and Yoshiko, as well as Kirara, from their sleep. They all drowzily stared over at the man trying to regain his breath. He just winced and waved his hand in a hurried gesture at them. "Sorry, sorry. Must've been something I ate.", he said jokingly before standing up to stretch and gaze out at the orange and pink hue'd sky. Kagome and Yoshiko straightened their clothing and rolled up their beds in preperation to leave. Kirara took on her full form and stretched widely before making a massively toothy yawn and padding over to pick up Kagome's backpack in her mouth to carry. Kagome smiled earnestly at the firecat.

"Thanks, Kirara, but I think I can carry it for a little while. I'll let you know if it gets to be a little too much.", She rubbed the firecats nose gently and finished putting her belongings back into the pack before slinging it over her shoulder in one swift movement. Yoshiko was behind her now beginning to mount the firecat, and Yoshino was starting to walk down the road. Yoshino didn't really like to ride on Kirara's back. Kagome and Yoshiko figured it was just him being afraid of heights, though he would never admit something like that. They both shared glances at his back as he made his way down the road to the village. As Kagome got onto Kirara's back, Kirara leaped and in one bound came to land next to Yoshino who scoffed and looked the other way. Kirara mewled and nudged his back playfully as if to offer him a spot if he wanted it, but he merely patted her on the nose and kept his stride trio arrived at the village just as the sun was making its way into the sky and the villagers stirred from their homes. Two children immidiately came running as they saw Kagome and Yoshiko, their arms waving frantically and their toothy smiles filling the atmosphere with happiness. Kagome smiled at them both and leaned down as they came to stop infront of her.

"Kagome-sama! It is so good to see you, Kagome-sama!", the children chanted, completely in awe at her presence as the other villagers noticed them and looked on with warm and content faces. Kagome and Yoshiko exchanged gifts with the children and headed off to the head house of the village to inquire about any local demon sitings. As they approached the door the headsman was just opening the wooden entrance and his face took on that of surprise, but he soon realized who it was and gave a welcoming smile to the group. Yoshino patted the man on the back and they exchanged a few laughs before Kagome got to the point of their visit.

"I was wondering, if you have seen any yokai in this area? Or maybe if you have heard any rumors of them?", Kagome gestured towards the forest where they came from. "We just came from up that way but didn't see or hear anything, and we want to make sure the village is safe before moving on.", Her tone was kind, and she pet Kirara as the firecat transformed back into her smaller self and leapt up into her arms. Yoshiko nodded from behind her with a calm face, and looked down at one of the village children now hugging her leg with a smile.

"I do not believe we have any threats at the moment, priestess. But I do know the village that my cousin now leads to the west has had some troubles with snake youkai for some time. He says they come down in the nights and steal the little ones in their sleep. It is quite alarming indeed.", the headsman nodded gravely, looking down at the children clinging to Yoshikos legs, who now had terrified looks on their faces. Kagome turned to them and tenderly patted the head of one of them.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't let those nasty youkai get to you. I'd purify them in a moment, and so would Yoshiko.", Kagome half-jokingly said to the children in a story-telling voice. Yoshiko nodded fiercely and held one of the children closer as they beamed up at the mikos. Yoshino laughed and nodded in agreement from beside them and the children scurried off to play games. Yoshiko gazed after them as Kagome turned back to speak with the headsman once more.

"The west? Are you sure? That's pretty far from here.", Kagome nervously looked in the direction the headsman had pointed to.

"Yes, I am quite certain. I am worried if they do get all of the children in my cousin's village, they will not hesitate to keep going through each village until they reach our own. I am also looking out for my family, you see. I would not like for anything to happen to them.", he nodded gravely once more, trying not to imagine the fates of his family members had the miko's group not happened upon his village at this time. Kagome nodded immidately and bowed to him graciously, as did Yoshiko. Yoshino simply grunted in agreement and set off for the direction they were to go.

"W-wait! Young man! Do you not need a place to rest? Or supplies?", the headsman offered as Yoshino's back disappeared between the houses and down the road in the direction of the west. Kagome waved her hand aplogetically for Yoshino's actions to the headsman and spoke once more.

"No I'm afraid we'll be fine. We just recently set up camp last night and well," she gestured in Yoshino's direction. "He doesn't really like to stay in one place for too long.", She smiled weakly and hoped her explanation would suffice. Nodding, the headsman took her explanation without complaint and said his goodbyes to them. As Kagome and Yoshiko

walked off in the direction Yoshino took they waved goodbye to the villagers they knew and the children who were now trailing behind them as they reached the village border. Kirara again took her full form in a blaze of fire and Yoshiko hopped on her back as Kagome hugged one more child before jumping up on the firecats back as well. In the process of padding off down the road, Kirara paused and gave a small growl, now realizing that they were heading to the west. The west was home to someone they hadn't seen ever since Inuyasha died. Kagome looked down at Kirara with a worried expression as if to know what the firecat was thinking.

"Yeah, I know Kirara. For some reason it seems like we're not supposed to be going there. But I also feel like we need to.", Kagome put emphasis on the word need as she gripped Kirara's fur a little too hard and the demon mewed in agreement. Yoshiko looked at Kagome with a confused face. She hadn't talked of the Western Lord much, but she did know that he was the brother of her deceased lover.

"Kagome-sama?", Yoshiko worriedly asked, as she leaned into Kagome on Kirara's back. "What's wrong? Do you sense something evil there? I do not sense anything evil in this direction. At least not yet.", She stated cautiously. Kagome shook her head in Yoshiko's direction from behind her back.

"No, I wouldn't say it's an evil aura or anything. I just feel like something is calling us there. Kirara seems to feel it too, but-", She cut off, looking up at Yoshino's back which was now farther down the road as Kirara's pace slowed to make it easier for them to talk. "But I feel...weird.", was all Kagome could think to say. She stayed silent after Yoshiko nodded and looked onto the scenery ahead of them. The journey to the west would be a long one, but if it was to save innocent lives, Kagome had no qualms about it. She just hoped if she did see Sesshoumaru after all this time, he wouldn't try to kill her like he did in the past. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt a little relieved. Being able to see someone from her past. She let a small smile escape her lips as she looked up into the now bright blue noon sky.

This trip was going to be long, but it was also going to be interesting. But what Kagome didn't know was that the kamis had so much in store for her than she actually ever dreamed of. Something magnificent that would lead her down a path to the happiness she truly deserved.

Yay! Finally heading to the west! I am so excited to get this fic going! ^^

-V-Sama 


	5. Shadows of Doubt

_Shadows of Doubt_

_**Hello Everyone!**_

First off, I'd like to grovel at your feet and apologize profusely for not updating for so long! My job has been so ridiculously hectic, and my college life has also been kicking my butt. Not to mention I'm planning my final move over to Japan and my days are just filled with chaos! **But!**

**I will be updating this more frequently!**

I really missed this fic and the direction it was headed, and so far had only recieved nothing but cheers and praise in the direction it was going. So I am going to pull through this tough rut and keep writing! I would really really like to apologize and seriously feel like a jerk for not updating recently, but my life just took a hold of me and strangled me (xu x;), I am hoping to at least update this fanfic a few times a month and gain at least up to 10,000 words per chapter. So far the story will be going slow as I need to develop the plot a little more, but please stick with me!

**Thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoy this extra long chapter to make up for my absence! ^ u ^**

On the second day of their trip, the group finally stopped below a small accumulation of trees overlooking a small valley. They decided to set up camp early as it was beginning to rain, and they preferred not to travel much in such weather. Their journey wasn't necessarily rushed, but it was important. Kagome and Yoshiko had started to set up a large piece of tarp tied between two low hanging branches. They tugged and tugged until the ropes attatched to each end were secured and the thick tenting was above their heads, shielding them from the raindrops that found themselves between the branches of the trees. The rain had begun to pour down even harder as Yoshino brought a few measly twigs and logs to start the fire. Kagome flicked on her lighter that her mother had given her for such occasions, seeing as the logs and twigs themselves were a little damp from the water. Yoshino and Yoshiko always found themselves to be baffled by Kagome's many odd items that she brought from her time. Kagome in turn, would tell them about the items, and how even though they were invented for other purposes, could serve them well in surviving the wilds. Yoshino always liked the foods that Kagome brought with her from her era, as Inuyasha once had. His sister Yoshiko, on the other hand, found them to be strange and would refuse to even try them. In cases of Yoshiko's rare stubbornness Kirara would simply saunter off to find some sort of wild rabbit or small mammal to feed her with.

The droplets of rain were now hitting the tarp with fierce pattering and Kagome could hardly hear what Yoshiko was mouthing to her in hushed tones. She decided to yell, even though Yoshino was so close by. "What!? I'm sorry, I can't really hear you over the rain!", she shouted, gesturing to the piece of hard fabric above them. Yoshiko nodded in an annoyed manner and scooted closer to Kagome, eyeing her brother from across the campfire who was loudly slurping down some of the instant noodles Kagome had just handed him minutes ago.

"Forgive me, Kagome-sama, I was merely asking if there was anything we should be worried about in heading to the west.", Yoshiko tried to talk loudly because she refused to yell even at a time like this. Kagome had to strain to hear her and decided on just leaning as close as she could to the other miko, hoping not to invade her space. Yoshiko shuffled herself into a more comfortable sitting position and waited for Kagome's response.

"I don't think it's a matter of being worried, just-", Kagome paused as a small droplet of water fell onto her nose through a small tear in the tarp, which was now hanging a little lower from being filled with the rain that was now slowing down above them. "I just think that we should be cautious. I don't know what sort of demons inhabit the west, save Sesshoumaru, and I would rather not come into contact with any of them. I'm not even sure myself where the palace of the west is, but this village we need to find is our main concern right now.", Kagome's voice could now speak at a lower tone as the darkened clouds began to roll away and open up into clearer skies. Yoshino took this small pause in the weather to stand and shake the tarp of it's offending amounts of water, and then return to his meal.

Yoshiko glanced up at her brother briefly before turning back to Kagome to adress her calmly. "I agree, Kagome-sama. I do not wish to encounter youkai in these areas, I hear many strange tales about them. Though I have not met this Lord of the West, I can imagine he is one to be trifled with, and hope to never see him, either.", Yoshiko's weary eyes looked down into her lap. Kagome knew Yoshiko didn't mind demons too much, but Kagome also knew she wasn't completely okay with them either. Kagome assumed it was more fear of the unknown than anything. Even if Yoshiko was a priestess, she hadn't come into contact with any daiyoukai, or any other high-ranking demons, for that matter. Her sweet smile interrupted Yoshiko from what seemed to be a deep thought, and Kagome gently patted her friend on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Yoshiko. I can't say any daiyoukai that I have met have been completely friendly, but I can say that they are respectful enough, and will usually show you a politeness if you show them the same. I wouldn't necessarily say that in Sesshoumaru's case, because whenever I met him he either tried to kill me, or would insult me without hesitation... but regardless, I highly doubt we'll see him if we keep out of his way.", Her reassuring expression calmed Yoshiko's stiffness a little and she began to eat the small leg of rabbit now in the wooden bowl being handed to her by her brother who was trying his best to not evesdrop on their obviously private conversation (though he really wanted to). Kagome took a portion of the rabbit as well in her fingers and nibbled the fresh meat before nodding thanks to the firecat next to them. Kirara mewled and laid her head on her paws, watching the tree's sway in the breeze down in the valley before closing her eyes to nap. The beaming sunlight had now come out from behind the rain-free clouds which were emptying their last bits of raindrops. The white puffy clouds rolled slowly into the distance as a warm breeze began to blow and small amounts of dew on the grasses and leaves were sparkling like newly shined jewels. Kagome looked out into the forest that seemed to have a new and fresh glow about it. This was one of the things she loved about the sengoku jidai, she gazed lazily out into the valley below them and was lost in her own thoughts for awhile.

'I really hope we don't see any demons.' Her mind drawled on, 'From what i've seen and heard of the local villages it's been pretty calm in this area. Other than the recent snake youkai attacks, it seems strange there is suddenly so much activity.', she pondered to herself, gently taking another mouthful of the slightly burnt and deliciously salty rabbit meat, chewing it slowly while wiping her greasy fingers on a handkerchief speckled with soft pink cherry blossom embroidery that was nestled in her lap given to her by Yoshiko. She always felt bad for even wiping her hands on it, but Yoshiko had told her to use it whenever she needed, and the feudal era was really just a messy place sometimes. Kagome heard the light tapping of feet and assumed it was Yoshiko, so she sighed comfortably and leaned back in her current spot. Yoshiko joined her in gazing out into the forest below

the valley and they stayed like that in silence until their meal was finished. They were setting up the rest of their supplies for sleeping, and It was still early in the evening, but they would be staying the night here, so the miko's both thought it wise to just prepare now so they could go off and enjoy a stroll before settling down to sleep. Kagome unpacked her bedroll and flattened it out, right before she also turned around to help Yoshiko lay her bed roll out beside her. The smaller priestess always had trouble with heavy things, even if they were thick bedrolls she seemed to struggle tugging on the edges of it to flatten it out. Kagome would always find herself helping the woman who might as well be her sister now, so she didn't mind the kind acts she did for Yoshiko.

Yoshino was a few meters from them both, standing to stretch after tending to the fire with the last bits of wood he had stored next to the pile of rocks which were holding the charcoals in place. His thick hands turned the sticks and adjusted the rocks so the fire would soon be only burning on embers and they could sleep without worry of anything in their camp setting fire. He turned to the women and yawned, brushing a firm hand through his long bangs. "I'm going to just go over there" he gestured with his thumb, " to gather more for the fire tomorrow, so don't go anywhere until I'm back. Alright?", he then pointed to a small opening into a meadow behind them only a few yards, reminding them of where he'd be again as if they didn't see it the first time. His protective tone made Kagome smile on the inside, knowing he was mostly looking out for his twin sister. In many ways Yoshino reminded her of Miroku the way he used to be with Kagome, he always looked out for her even when she didn't need him to. Her mind stung at the thought of her old friends, and she shook the images away. The miko's both merely nodded in Yoshino's direction as he walked off with his blade at his side, his hands gently dusting off his backside from any offending dirt. He had taken his weapons just in case should any animal or demon decide to surprise him. It wouldn't be the last time the Miko's had to actually come running and save HIM from a demon, because sometimes he couldn't necessarily kill it on his own.

Yoshiko and Kagome both stood and stretched slightly after leaning down for so long and preparing everything they needed to in the way of bedding. They turned to walk the short few feet to look over the rocky cliff that had shown the valley that lay before them. They were on a small cliffside which was littered in broken tree trunks and small bouts of grass that refused to stop growing. The cliff itself seemed to drop a few hundred feet down and the precarious rocks on the edges of it looked to be quite sturdy and could probably kill someone had they become dislodged and rolled down the massive slopes towards them. Kagome leaned down and sat on the edge of one of the hefty boulders nearby, her knees closely scrunched up to her chest and her feet planted firmly below her on the stiff boulder's surface. Yoshiko sat down to her left as well, deciding against sitting on a boulder, but crossed her legs and leaned back into a small stump behind her. The two priestesses gazed out into the now fading sunlight that shone in the distance and turned the sky a light orange and crimson color and sighed.

"It's really pretty.", Kagome mused, looking out at what seemed to be a small stream in the valley beneath that seemed to still be teeming with life even though the day had almost been over.

She could see the small ripples of water and a small splash from what looked like a pair of fish swimming together. Above the stream and the trees, the rolling hills were filled with greenery as far as the eye could see, and the setting sun made the tops of the tree's have a hue of orange tinted into them. Birds nearby were chirping their evening songs, and crickets began to sing in the many bunches of grass around them, making even the night time here seem like a lively place. They could also make out a small field in the valley where fireflies were starting to shine and dance in the night. Kagome pointed to them and gave Yoshiko a gentle smile, as the other priestess gasped in astonishment. Kagome assumed she hadn't seen real fireflies until now, even though they had been on many nightly walks before this. She felt kind of bad that they were so far away, and made a silent promise to take Yoshiko down to see those fireflies sometime in the future up close. Yoshiko opened her mouth to respond to Kagome's earlier statement.

"Yes, it is, Kagome-sama. It is incredibly beautiful.", Yoshiko softly agreed, placing her fragile pale hands gently in her lap. Kagome nodded silently to her words. The trueness to them reached her down to her soul. Even though it was just the scenery, Kagome really never got tired of it. Yoshiko leaned back a little more in her position and smiled before speaking again. "I often find myself looking at scenes such as this from time to time for hours on end.", the smaller miko stated, turning her head halfway through her sentence to look at her wavy-haired companion who now seemed to have a faraway look in her eyes. "Kagome-sama?", Yoshiko's quiet voice questioned. But no answer. A small breeze carassed the locks of hair hanging down from Kagome's shoulders. Yoshiko brushed a straight lock of her own hair from her pale face before looking at her friend more closely, leaning on one hand in Kagome's direction. Kagome's head was now hung low as her thick bangs covered her eyes; her posture now slumped over, and her fingers playing with the hem of one of her haori sleeves. The small bits of dry and dusty dirt on her fingers were making the white fabric tinged with brown in some places, but she obviously didn't seem to care. The sunlight was now disappearing completely over the edge of the now dark crimson and violet horizon, as dark shadows played off of the branches and shrubs below in the valley. The crickets could be heard much louder, and the fireflies which now seemed farther away had shone brighter in the darkness. Their small lights illuminating the grasses like fallen stars.

"Kagome-sama.", Yoshiko called once more, her voice pleading a little. Yoshiko tried to lean even closer to Kagome, hoping maybe her nearer presence could snap her friend out of whatever daydream or thought she was caught in. She then noticed a small grin grace Kagome's lips before her head snapped up and she beamed a smile at the miko to her left who was now at a loss for words with a very confused look on her face. But then Yoshiko grimmaced a little and realized what had just been going on inside Kagome's head.

"I'm fine, Yoshiko. Just something in my eye, I think.", Kagome smiled while brushing a small piece of hair stuck to her cheek from the moisture that now trickled down her face. Yoshiko refused to believe such a silly and childish lie. Her expression now pained at Kagome's continuing struggles within her heart. She scooted over to Kagome's side and hugged her close, her small hands clasping at her right shoulder and squeezing tightly; or as tight as she could with her small and weak arms. Kagome's eyes opened a fraction more and then she simply returned the friendly embrace, and smiled into Yoshiko's hair. She knew her friend wouldn't ask her what was wrong, because she already had witnessed moments like this ever since she first met Kagome. The very first time it happened Kagome could remember how worried Yoshiko was. But now her small priestess friend just knew. Everyone knew. Everyone had always known. Ever since that horrible day, Kagome couldn't hold it in at moments like this. Moments when her and Inuyasha would be sitting together and enjoying the sunset. They enjoyed countless sunsets in silence and while they talked of their future. Something so peaceful still brought back the sharp knives of her memories, and it ached to this day. Kagome felt like an idiot for always being like this; she was so vulnerable at such random moments. She was vulnerable even if it wasn't a random moment. Kagome wanted to shout at the world to stop reminding her of him. But it was useless. She felt like the pain might go away soon, or at least hide itself in the company of her new friends. But it didn't. She couldn't escape it. It was an endless dark hallway that she could see the door to, but no matter now hard she tried, and grasped out for that doorknob, she just couldn't reach it. She wanted to, so badly, but she couldn't.

After a few moments of silence, Kagome pulled from their now tight and desperate embrace and smiled weakly at Yoshiko, who was brushing the remaining tears away from Kagome's cheeks and eyes. "Thanks.", was all Kagome said before gently standing up, brushing her hair behind her ears, and walking back to their campsite with a languid pace, not saying another word. Yoshiko looked at Kagome's back as she turned, and frowned. Her hands fisted and squeezed the fabric of her hakama as Kagome neared her bedroll to lay down to sleep for the night. Yoshiko's eyes had finally revealed all of her pity and hurt for her dearest friend. Yoshiko wished she could help Kagome. She wished she could save her from the nightmares, and the darkness. She willed the hurt away with her eyes, drilling them into her disappearing back and wanting nothing more than for Kagome to find the strength to finally move on from the rusted chains of her past love. Yoshiko had never been in love before, and hadn't known what it felt like. She had a good idea from the stories Kagome told her of Inuyasha. She had an idea of having the most important and precious light in your life being taken from you and snuffed out, but she still tried to console Kagome when she could, for she knew that no one but Kagome herself could fix all of this. After all, it was really up to Kagome in the end whether or not she wanted to be happy. Yoshiko just wished Kagome knew she deserved happiness. She wished that Kagome understood none of it was her fault, and that moving on in her life was what Inuyasha surely would have wanted, were he still alive today. Even after all that happened to Kagome, she still deserved it.

She deserved more.

'Especially her. She deserves such a thing more than any other in this world.', Yoshiko thought wholeheartedly, as she strode back to the campfire, turning her head to gaze up at the newly born stars in the sky as she walked, keeping her eyes on the twinkling forms of light millions of miles sent a silent prayer to the kamis that night. She prayed for Kagome's happiness, and the things to come.

Sesshoumaru felt a cold gust of wind as the morning light shone through his study. He didn't recall having to wear extra layers below his haori today, but would refuse to ask for more even if it was a little cold out. He had handled much worse conditions before and he could certainly do so again. His long claws slid over the thin parchment in his hands and he stared at the perfect and orderly writing with a frown on his face. The border patrols on his lands had recently just infromed him that a nearby village was being ransacked by lowly snake youkai. The youkai weren't of his alliegence, so they surely needed to be dealt with for being on his lands even with this fact alone. But he didn't really care what happened to the villagers. His eternal distaste for humans hadn't changed and probably never would change. The humans did live on his lands, and farm on his lands, but they also didn't give him much respect. Not only were they humans, but the village they laid claim to wasn't even on very good farming land. It was a dry area to the very southern edge of his borders and was not very well kept. When their headman had come to plead for better lands to cultivate, Sesshoumaru simply would scoff at each of the men kneeling so low their heads touched the floor. Regardless of showing respect or not, he turned each of them away. The crops they produced each year weren't even good enough to take for his own palace, let alone his own servants. They were a poor village, and a sick village. He of course didn't see any of those things to be at fault with himself, or his lack of care for the creatures. He saw no need to help such things in their struggles for life. He'd rather just slaughter them all in a few seconds and re-build the whole village area himself, but his advisors had ultimately voted and decided against it. When Sesshoumaru first took over his father's lands, he saw the few treaties they had to keep all human inhabitants in tact. His mood had soured immidiately at remembering the horrendous parchments. Wanting nothing more to tear them to shreds he stored them someplace deep below the palace in their old document and scroll library to just be rid of them. Sesshoumaru didn't like to think about the few humans living on his land if he could help it.

The disgust he felt for his father's betrayal in the way of supporting humans was vast, to say the least. He could remember now how his father used to rant on and on in his silly tone saying how 'humans are beneficial creatures, my son! You must simply converse with them and you will see. They are nothing to be disgusted with.'

"What a fool", he hissed outloud. His claw now twitching irritably on the parchment in his hands. He however, though, did respect his father and would abide by his laws, if only for a few more hundred years. He decided to "respect" his father and his wishes and simply ignore the humans as long as they didn't ruin his lands or cause wars upon them within their small communities. Any issues to do with them from now on would just be passed down through Jaken and his lower advisors. He slid the parchment away from his eyes and back onto his desk. Sesshoumaru, now rubbing his temple, glanced out of the window into the skies dotted with small clouds being pushed gently by the winds as they passed. His cold gaze fluttered over the slight hues of gray he could see in the distance outside of the open window. He lifted his head and inhaled deeply of what smelled like soon-to-be fresh rain. He always admitted that he liked the rain, at least to himself. Other demons within the Western Palace had often told him his scent smelled of the rain in an attempt to compliment him. He couldn't argue with such a thing of course. In fact, he proudly took such statements in. Rain was a thing to be admired. It came and went as it pleased, and it flushed all things out to be in their true forms, never giving up its own fluidity and trueness itself. It couldn't be harnessed, and was wild like anything else that came from nature.

The cold and damp breeze from the clouds that now neared the Western Palace rustled his soft and silvery bangs, and he closed his golden eyes. 'Rin always liked to play in the Palace yards in the rain on days like this.' His heart clenched ever so slightly at the thought of his little Rin, and then his self-control wrangled in his wavering emotions which seemed to always slip dangerously close to the ledge of his memories he had thrown so far down into the hole of his heart. He firmly scowled, making his stony expression appear even moreso than normal. Though no one was around him, he refused to think about unnecessary things. At least, to him, they were unnecessary. Unenecessary and too raw.

As the day drawled on, Sesshoumaru filled out paperwork, wrote new scrolls, sent out missives, and helped to organize his new troops into their patrol groups. His newly irritating guest, Masayoshi, helped him in getting to know each of their names, but Sesshoumaru knew he would simply forget them in the days to come. He didn't care to know them, because he knew if it ever came to war, they would die quickly and not deserve to be remembered by their names. Even though they were an allies soldiers, he didn't think

of them as anything but what they were. His harsh thoughts were interrupted by Masayoshi's stern gaze as he gestured to one of the patrol forms Jaken was holding up to the towering pair of daiyoukai Lords. "Sesshoumaru, Jaken has shown me this patrol route, near the village on the southern edge here." Masayoshi's clawed finger pointed to where the small village was that Sesshoumaru was already irritated to hear about. A low growl tried to form in his throat before he stifled it with a stony gaze in Jaken's direction.

Jaken caught his Lord's intensely cold stare and nervously looked around as if to think he were sending his trecherous glance at anyone but himself. Sesshoumaru's glare was interrupted by Masayoshi who began to speak again. "I hear talk in the kitchens and guard barracks that it is infected with lowly hebi youkai?" His bright green eyes flashed up to Sesshoumaru who was now peering over the map of the Western lands. Sesshoumaru nodded, and turned to the hawk daiyoukai.

"This Sesshoumaru was informed of this only recently, and has yet to make any sort of plan to handle the matter." Sesshoumaru's blank stare went back to the parchment that was now in Masayoshi's hands, "I assume such weak things will only need to be handled by a few of my troops alone." The daiyoukai's golden eyes flashed over to Jaken who was now turning to head off in the direction of the barracks, to form a patrol for the area. Masayoshi put up a clawed hand in the toad's direction and Jaken froze, curious eyes looking up at the daiyoukai who spoke once more.

"Although it would be best delt with in this manner, Sesshoumaru. I myself have not seen the blood of another demon for quite some time, let alone slain anything in a few centuries. I would suggest I handle the problem myself, if I may." Masayoshi's grin became appearant once more, his fangs glimmering in Sesshoumaru's direction, who was now staring at Masayoshi with a blank expression. Sesshoumaru considered the idea for only a moment, and turned to Jaken.

"This one will attend as well." He spoke directly to Jaken this time, even though Masayoshi was the one who looked at him in surprise.

"M-my Lord?" Jaken questioned, holding the missives and parchments in his small green hands a little more firmly now.

"Do not make this one repeat himself, Jaken. This one has the same reasoning as Masayoshi does. We shall handle the matter ourselves. This wretched Palace needs to be out of my sight for awhile."Sesshoumaru frowned, his golden orbs slanting ever so slightly as he looked behind Masayoshi and Jaken at the servants, advisors, and soldiers all mulling around the palace grounds like sickly animals. He was tired of this mundane everyday life and could use the opportunity to handle the youkai problem and get some much needed stress-relief underway. As Sesshoumaru's hard gaze returned to the daiyoukai beside him, Masayoshi clapped his firm clawed hand onto Sesshoumaru's back with his grin at full splendor once more. Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed and hoped in that moment that Masayoshi could be struck in the stomach with a sword. He hated that smile of his. Loathed it, even.

"Well! It has been settled then." Masayoshi's voice chimed, "We will make the trip by tomorrow morning. It should not take us more than a few days run to reach the village, I assume?" Masayoshi gestured to Sesshoumaru questioningly, as he flipped a lock of long and softly glimmering brown hair behind his shoulder.

Masayoshi had moved too close into the frigid Lord's space and so Sesshoumaru leaned briskly out of Masayoshi's touch, all the while his golden eyes were slanted in irritation. Sesshoumaru nodded shortly in response to Masayoshi's statement. Jaken prepared to scurry off with parchments flying this way and that in his hurry to be done with the day. The small demon reached for the scattered papers with grasping claws just as the lanky daiyoukai's conversation ended. Sesshoumaru had told him to make preperations for their departure the next day so he could watch over the Western Palace while the daiyoukai lords were absent. He also scolded the stunted demon for acting so ridiculously in front of their guest. Sesshoumaru knew Jaken was an idiot and would rather prefer to not leave his entire palace in the hands of a toad, but he did admit he handled the Palace quite well when he had to leave, which was useful for his much needed breaks from the elegant prison of a home he now resided in. As Jaken made his fierce apologies to Masayoshi by bowing into the stones below his feet, Masayoshi plainly waved a clawed hand in his direction and whispered to the toad that he neednt be so formal. Sesshoumaru of course could hear them as he was still

standing beside the two, but decided to ignore them and look off into the courtyard nearby which was now covered in sakura petals. 'Spring is ending.' He noted to himself as he crossed his pale and sculpted arms into his haori sleeves. He was shaken out of his slight distraction by Masayoshi who was now leaning too closey to his face once more, with that stupid smirk on his face. Sighing inwardly, he slid his eyes back towards the hawk daiyoukai and merely stared at him, waiting to see what he wanted.

"So I am thinking... we shall bring our armor and usual weapons? We certainly will not need to use much force to kill such weakly creatures, but it is never bad to be sure. Do you not think so?" Masayoshi's handsome face looked seriously at his ally for a moment, his left clawed hand adjusting his dark green hakama and the sword at his hip which had the emblem in light gold etchings of his house on the scabbard, which now seemed to be dusty from his travels to the Western Palace. Sesshoumaru's languid gaze studied the sword and he held back a bleak insult at the state of the daiyoukai's scabbard. He had assumed that Masayoshi didn't care much for the well-being of his weapons, so long as they could cut decently. His inspecting eyes slid up from the sword and he responded dryly,

"What ever you decide. This Sesshoumaru does not care."The inu Lord unfeelingly stated, and then turned on his heel and headed for the direction of the palace where his bedchambers were located. He was appearently very much so done with this day, as Masayoshi could tell. Masayoshi stared after him in long silence, his wide smirk now going into a thin line on his elegant face. He reached up and scratched the back of his head with a dragging sigh and stretched out his long and robust arms behind his back. The fact that Sesshoumaru had remained so cold and so calculating ever since they first met had never changed. Masayoshi didn't seem to mind this, as it helped him in situations where his own emotions could get the better of him. But sometimes he thought it to be a little too much, and found himself to be exasperated with the unemotional and distant inuyoukai lord. Sesshoumaru of course grew up this way. His own mother acted as such, and had taught him the ways of unfeeling, as to her, emotions and other such things were ridiculous and would only get in the way of ruling over lands and other lowly demons. Masayoshi had never encountered a demon as icy as Sesshoumaru was, but he also hadn't encountered a demon as loyal and as trustworthy with his word. He was a good ally, and in the end that's all that mattered when it came down to their land's connections. Masayoshi soon began to become bored of his own company and sauntered off to the kitchens as the sun was making its descent into the horizon. The front of the palace was now almost empty as most servants and palace inhabitants would be in the dining halls soon. With a rumbling stomach and an appetite that could not be sated, Masayoshi headed for his meal before their journey tomorrow. He would need something delicious to eat if he had to put up with frigid-butt all day long.

Kagome ran as fast as she could, but all she could see around herself was darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone there!?", she wailed, her feet pounding along the darkened path as hard as they could, to get her out of this horribly desolate and shadowed plane. She didn't know where she was, and she couldn't hear anything. She couldn't even hear her feet hitting the ground, even as they tried with all their might to carry her where she was so desperately trying to go. Her heart pounded in her chest, feeling as if it could come up her throat and out of her mouth at any moment, leaving her lifeless and hollow. "Please! Someone answer me!", her pleas became more desperate, and she began grasping at the shadows that now drew nearer to her. Her feet kept going, and she kept searching for an opening. Any light or hole that could lead her from this barren place that obviously no one else seemed to be in. She reached out with all of her might, her fingers pulling at the joints in her hands, stretching the skin as far as it could go, as if her fingers could somehow become longer and reach farther. But to no avail. Her panicked state only got more desperate as her heart rate increased, and her palms began to sweat. The endless running didn't seem to be tiring her out, but she decided to ignore that in her frantic search for an escape.

The black-blue locks of her hair now clung to her reddend cheeks, as her breathing quickened in bursts, and her legs kept their relentless stretch towards the path that she knew not where it lead. Her cobalt eyes flaring open, trying to see in the darkness, she cried once more, "If anyone is here, please! Help me! I think I'm lost!", she yelped. But when she opened her lips to call once more to any being that was willing to listen, her voice had disappeared. She kept on trying to scream, but no noise was coming forth from her lungs. They swelled with effort to make any sound, but nothing happened. Kagome stopped in her relentless struggle with the endless pathway and slowed down to a walk. Her eyes were wide open but all she could see were swirling shadows and darkness surrounding her. It enveloped her like black ink sinking into water. It drifted and ebbed, but it didn't let up, and it didn't decrease in thickness. When she was almost about to give in, and surrender to this nightmare, Kagome noticed a small blur at the end of the shadowy and abandoned path she was traversing. She squinted

her eyes as hard as she could to focus in on the blur. It looked like it was right in front of her at one moment, and then at the next moment it seemed far away. The blur slowly changed form and became lighter in color. It became white. A soft white, like freshly fallen snow, or the tint of the new form gradually became lanky in shape, but still obtained its whispy edges as if it were trying to be smudged out by an eraser. Kagome reached for it, even though she seemed so far away. Her mouth opened to yell and attempt to attract attention to this mysterious thing ahead of her, but her voice would not come forth. She desperately reached with her soft hands outward, her fingers grasping in the darkened air as if this form of light would notice her. But to her surprise, it did. The form turned, and as it did so, it became inconsiderably clearer to see. It was a person. A person with snow-white hair. A perfect being, standing just a few hundred meters from her now. The being seemed to illuminate the darkness in which she felt to empty to be surrounded by, and her mouth opened in another attempt to communicate. She wanted to tell this being that she was afraid. She wanted to be rid of this place. This horrible and void place where she felt so utterly alone. The being seemed to notice her cries, and looked in her direction, staring over it's shoulder. Kagome couldn't see it's face or any other features than it's long and whispy white locks of hair. Her heart suddenly ached at this notion. And she clutched her chest in response.

"Inu...yasha?", her voice finally came out in a low and quiet whimper. It sounded like she was talking through walls of glass, and her voice became muffled in the silence of the desolate and shadowed scenery. She reached a cautious hand outwards, toward the perfect being. The white tresses of hair were glinting off the shadows and becoming silver from a light Kagome couldn't see. It was too beautiful to look at, and yet she couldn't look away. The shadows in contrast to this perfect specimen made it stand out above all else. She didn't hear a response from the being, but in her heart somewhere deep down she wished it was Inuyasha. He had visited her so many times in her dreams, she guiltily wished he would keep doing so for the rest of her life. When she saw a small flicker of light, Kagome noticed the being slowly turning back away from Kagome and beginning it's slow and steady pace away from her and up the inky path.

"Wait! Inuyasha!", Kagome cried, her voice now perfectly audible and clear. Her eyes were tearing up, and her expression full of the pain and fear she had held onto for all of this time in missing her lost love. Her legs began their rough and quick tread toward the unknown being. Kagome knew it must have been Inuyasha. It was always Inuyasha. She reached as far as she could as she ran. Her feet pounded into the soundless ground below her, and her tears trickled relentlessly down her face. She wiped at her eyes as she ran, hoping maybe if she called out once more the being would stop its slow retreat from her. "Inuyasha, please! Wait!", she choked, catching on the last syllable of his name. Kagome thought maybe the being couldnt hear her, and this world was just another way to torture her in her endless memories of Inuyasha and his absence. She began to feel the hurt again, the stinging sensation that rose from her heart.

It was then that the being stopped, and turned once more to look at Kagome. She paused instantly and stopped her sobbing in surprise. The being itself wasn't any clearer than before, but she noticed something near the top of it's head, and she squinted her eyes with full effort to get a better glance at what she was seeing. And that was when she noticed it.

Pale and pointed, elven ears.

She gasped in her cracking voice, her tears now drying on the sides of her cheeks, and opened her mouth to yell once more.

Her deep blue eyes snapped open, and Kagome leaned up, in her bedroll. She was covered in sweat and her hands were shaking. Her legs ached and her head twinged with a minor pain in the back of her skull. Dazed, she looked around her, and noticed that she was in camp, and it was daylight. The sun shone down brighly on her and made her eyes close for just a moment at it's intensity. She could hear the crows calling in the distance and the rustling of the trees as a warm breeze flew past her and over into the valley below their camp. She looked down at her bedroll and then down at the ground beneath her. She placed her hand on the dusty and firm surface before locking her eyes on the scenery around her. Everything seemed to be in order but she still felt shaken by what was now obviously a dream. Kagome could faintly recall being in a dark place, when something, or someone approached her. But the memory of the dream faded fast, and it left a dull pain in her head. Kagome grasped her temple and groaned. She didn't even do much the night before and yet her head was suddenly killing her. She decided she would go to the hot springs nearby and take a long soak to relieve her nerves. When she looked around and didn't see Yoshiko or Yoshino she assumed they had either gone to the springs together or were out on their own seperately. The rustling of her bedroll caused Kagome to jump slightly and she glanced down to see Kirara in her smaller form, mewing up at her with curious eyes. Kagome patted the small firecat demon on the head and sighed.

"Don't scare me like that, Kirara!", she yelped. Her mouth was twisted in annoyance but quickly bent into a full and beaming smile as the mewling demon rubbed on her arm, trying to comfort her and seemingly apologize for startling the priestess. Kagome sat there and pet Kirara until her friends had returned to camp. She decided that today would be somewhat of a relaxing one, and then that night or early in the morning they would continue their trek to the west which was now not very far from them. Though in the back of her mind, something nagged at Kagome's conscious. She couldn't really tell what it was, or the cause for it. But it pulled at her heart in an uncomfortable way. It felt just like it did the day they had decided to head in the direction of the west. Kagome shook her head and closed her eyes hard, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach. She stood and yawned widely as she greeted the day. Kirara pounced down from her arms and pawed at her feet, reminding her that it was time for a meal. Kagome giggled gently and pulled her clothes on before grabbing her bow and a few arrows that were tied to her pack.

"Alright, lets go hunting first, then.", she cooed to the firecat, who excitedly mewled in approval. The firecat set herself ablaze and transformed into her full form and leapt off into the woods ahead of Kagome who was now jogging behind her. Today would be for relaxing. And tomorrow, tomorrow would be for moving ahead. The sun beat down on the young priestess and her demon companion as they ran through the shaded woods teeming with life, the priestesses giggles could be heard through the chirping of the birds and the noises of the late spring insects.

It was a peaceful and happy day. A day Kagome hadn't had in a very, very long time.

So did you enjoy it? ( o u o )? Let me know in a review and tell me what you think so far! Thanks again for reading or even glancing at my fanfic! I am very grateful (v u v ; )/ bows*


	6. Those Not So Mundane Days

_Those Not So Mundane Days_

**Yay chapter six!**

Ahh guys! I am so sorry I haven't finished this chapter as fast as I could have. I recently just signed up for college this fall and am also planning a move to Japan next year. My life is full of business, but that is also no excuse for my laziness and procrastination. (^^:

**Side Note: **I will have more time within the next month or so to write so I will be taking full advantage of that time to edit my story and get more comfortable with writing out my ideas for where I want this to go. Please bear with me in this, as it is my first fic, and I want it to be somewhat perfect!

With that said, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding my characters, plot, or any other aspect of my story. I love getting critiques and reviews! It helps me to write faster!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! *bows* v(v u v)v

The forest flew by in a flurry of movement, the quick gusts of wind thrusting strands of blinding white hair into the air. Hastened footsteps and a firm grip on his swords, Sesshoumaru lept above a clearing of trees as he gracefully sped through the western forestry. Faintly behind him a few hundred yards, he could hear Masayoshi's feet as they dug into the ground before pushing him up and into the air to glide along the breeze with his ally as they headed for the southern village infested with snake youkai.

"I am almost wishing that there be other demons of higher rank among these hebi. I am in much need of a good slaughtering",Masayoshi chuckled as his foot connected with a thick tree branch and he lept ahead of Sesshoumaru who was now slowing down in his pace, using more of his youki to keep himself afloat on the updrafts of wind passing by.

It was midday and the daiyoukai had been running through the greenery for a day without stop. Neither of them would tire before reaching their destination but that did not necessarily mean they wanted to rush, either. At least in Sesshoumaru's case, he was not eager to be surrounded by human filth again. The thought of having to actually help them to keep up with his father's petty treaties and agreements from centuries ago was beginning to tire him. He was irritated enough with having to take care of a palace full of fools, and now he had to handle petty hebi because the humans couldn't defend themselves? It didn't make sense to him. Regardless, he did agree with Masayoshi's statements about slaughter, seeing as he did not enjoy killing very often when he was on the palace grounds day after day, dealing with mundane tasks fit for a lord of his status. Recurring irritants such as Jaken's voice and lowly servants constantly bothering him didn't help in the case of the palace, either. He wasn't fit for palace life; even though his mother raised him to be the perfect son, and perfect heir.

He gave a small growl, low in his throat and thrust the thoughts of the palace and his mother aside. The gold in his eyes flickered for just a moment before he turned his gaze to the left and glanced at Masayoshi who was simply staring ahead into the southern forestry with a stony look on his pale face. His emerald eyes turned and his brow raised as if to question Sesshoumaru for the sudden glance, but the icy inu lord returned his gaze ahead and lept off of a nearby fallen tree as they kept their inhuman pace towards the southern village.

After a few hours of silence, Masayoshi cleared his throat, and spoke.

"Look, there." His clawed finger gestured to the right of their view, and Sesshoumaru could already smell it; the smell of smoke. It was still miles away, but it was definite.

"Hn."Golden eyes slanted ever so slightly.

"I assume our hebi have arrived for their evening of pillaging."

"If they think they can do as they wish on my lands without such regard for their lord, they are poorly mistaken."Sesshoumaru's clawed right hand flexed, and began to glow with the bright green hue of poison. Masayoshi laughed from beside him, and a sickly grin came across his perfect features.

"This shall be quite entertaining, my friend."The hawk daiyoukai chuckled, as they both sped through the last bit of tree cover before reaching the hillside that plunged down into a valley where the village lay. The village was now so clearly on fire, and smoke billowed from rooftops and small collections of shrubbery. The sun was setting now and the red and purple hues of dusk were only enhancing the menacing view of the village as it lay under siege. Masayoshi pulled his sword from the hilt with precise silence and rushed forward in a blur of movement into the shadows on the other edge of the village after leaping from a high boulder to their left. Sesshoumaru took this opportunity to glance quickly over his surroundings and asses the situation, as Masayoshi so obviously failed to do. The first thing he noticed was that there weren't any villagers screaming. Nor where there bodies lying about covered in blood, and miscellaneous organs. Usually when he came across such scenes, there was more…carnage. He scented in the air that there was death, destruction, and blood, but did not see the evidence for it.

In a flash he raised his arm, and blocked a flying chunk of scaley limb. His gaze languidly turned over only meters to his left, and he saw a hebi youkai staring him down. It's eyes were bright yellow and fiercely defiant. It stood to be at least twice his size and looked just as a cobra would, only the upper half of it was that of a higher ranking demon. The pointed ears and long flowing green hair down it's back made that much obvious. It grinned at Sesshoumaru before once again throwing its massive tail in his direction, but as it crashed into the ground below him, shattering bits of rock and soil into the air, Sesshoumaru swiftly sidestepped and appeared at the snake's back, slicing in one quick motion as he cut it in two. The sick wet sound of the flesh parting between his blade sent a shiver of pleasure up his spine, as blood spattered across his pelt and white haori. Bright golden eyes hastily turned as he parried an attack from behind. This time it was a smaller hebi youkai, and he delt with him easily, slicing through the neck with ease and causing the beast to flail about headless for a few seconds before thumping loudly into the scorching soil from the surrounding heat of the fire.

The flames were rampant now, setting everything in sight ablaze and leaving no mercy for things not yet touched by the engulfing destruction. The instant smell of rotting flesh stung the inu lords nose as he parried off more and more hebi youkai that swarmed from the now crumbling huts of the village. He realized they must have already slaughtered the whole village and were now just feasting on the remains before it was burnt down completely and nothing but ash was left. His golden eyes shone bright in the now increasing darkness, as the clouds of smoke covered the fading sunlight in a thick and heavy layer of shadows as he swiftly thrust out bakusaiga and obliterated the surrounding hoard of youkai in seconds.

As the pieces of flesh and bodyparts fell to the ground, he made his way around to the far edge of the village where he could see Masayoshi simply drenched in the hebi's blood, laughing manically as he split each and every one of them that dared come too close into small pieces. He assumed his companion had the situation handled, and so he turned to head toward the center of the village, picking up speed instantly and jumping from burning rooftop to burning rooftop, looking for any sign of villagers or life at all in this now barren and burning pathetic excuse for a village. His steps were slowed when he noticed a small group of villagers huddling off the edge of a hut behind some large baskets of rice and grains. His appearance had apparently startled them, for they recoiled back when he lifted one of the baskets with ease to get a better glance at the cowering townsfolk. A child was wailing and crying in the arms of a dirty and wounded woman, who was also trying to make her way in front of the group. There seemed to only be a few men and a few women, but no children except for the crying child. Sesshoumaru was almost glad for this, as he didn't really have time to deal with traumatized juveniles. He set the basket of unknown substance beside him and looked down upon the tattered group of villagers.

"You are all that is left."

It was more of a statement than a question. Sesshoumaru couldn't smell any other humans, and had killed almost all of the remaining hebi, save the ones that Masayoshi was gleefully killing off in the distance at the other end of the village with loud swings of his sword. The sound of a gruesome crunch resounded through the crackling of the fires nearby and Sesshoumaru had wondered if Masayoshi was really just a sadist under his playful and whimsical exterior. He shrugged off the random and silly notion that crept into his mind and kept his cold gaze on the villagers. The smallest woman who was holding the child stood from her crouching position, using her hand that wasn't holding the child to prop herself up and motioned to the others who were now behind her to do the same. Even though she held a babe in her arms, she seemed to be the leader of the group. Her proud eyes refused to show any fear in front of the tall and fearsome daiyoukai before her.

"Hai, milord." She nodded slightly," We thought to run, but the hebi already had taken down a group before our own with a plan to escape." The woman shuffled her feet and adjusted the hold on the child in her arms who had now ceased its crying. The loud thud of branches falling behind them startled the villagers on her sides, and they moved closer to her even though Sesshoumaru's size had obviously terrified them to the bone. The smoke was now increasingly irritating Sesshoumaru's nose, and he felt a growing itch to leave this wretched place. The inu lord nodded a fraction and moved to turn away from the villagers. He didn't see any need to stay here any longer, as his only purpose was to stop the youkai from ransacking the village. But as he failed to save most of the townspeople, he thought it best to just leave regardless. They could put out the fires on their own, it was of no concern to him.

There was a tug on his haori from behind as his foot gracefully took a step in front of him to begin his return to his companion who was no doubt still enjoying the thrill of the kill in the moment. He froze instantly, and a stifled growl attempted to rumble in his chest as his head spun around and his flawless features slanted into a scowl at the offending hand on his now dirtied haori sleeve. The offending hand belonged to another woman who was shorter than the woman with the child, but she was older, possibly an elder of the village as her late age was apparent.

His brow raised a fraction and he stood placidly as he waited for the woman to speak.

The womans voice was hoarse from the billowing clouds of smoke, and her old, weathered hands shook from remaining fear at proximity to this regal being.

"M-milord,"she croaked. An almost barely audible plea in her tone of silver lord's gaze kept it's firm position on her creaking hand which had continued to shake after removing itself from his person. "Can you not see the destruction these creatures have brought upon this peaceful village? Surely there are soldiers you can send from your palace to aid us…" her voice slowly cut out as his expression turned even colder, his claw connecting with the scabbard of his sword in a firm clicking sound.

"Foolish. Do not simply think that this Sesshoumaru has such dealings with humans that he shall aid them," he flicked a strand of stray silver hair behind his shoulder. The hungry flames around them illuminated his locks into every beautiful hue of gold as the light danced off of them.

"But we need someone to help us with these fires! You cannot think we are able on our own to do such a task!" a man spoke up from behind the elder, taking a cautious step closer to the demon lord. "We have only this child left to feed and care for!" his hands wildly gestured to the baby in the womans arms next to him.

"That is of no concern to this Sesshoumaru. The hebi will be taken care of, and then this one shall be on his way," the frozen glance the inu lord gave the elder before turning on his heel and returning to Masayoshi sent a menacing chill down her spine.

How they ended up like this was not their fault, but she also knew that such a demon would not put mercy on those he didn't even see fit to be at equal level with the very servants that grovel at his feet on a daily basis.

The hawk daiyoukai flipped a lock of blood-stained hair behind his shoulder, lifting his shimmering and gore-covered sword high in the air before flicking off the remaining filth in one swipe with his toned arm. His face contorted slightly at the stench now filling his sensitive nose of the snake youkai body parts that lay strewn about the ground.

"So you are just going to leave them?" his emerald eyes flashed a fraction, turning in the direction of the now receding sound of the inu lord's steps.

"You wish this one to protect them?" his stony voice sounded from a few hundred yards ahead. A flash of moonlight through the thick air of smoke caught his hair, and it was blinding white, dancing, for just a moment, before returning to a dark grey in the shadows once more.

"I did not suggest to protect them wholeheartedly, Sesshoumaru. But such things like this will reoccur if we do not handle them now. I know we killed a fair amount of the snakes, but that does not mean they cannot rebuild their numbers and return to attack once more when they see fit."

Masayoshi sheathed his sword with a grunt, leaping from the ground and landing just behind Sesshoumaru as he made his way out of the village with graceful steps. He set his steps in time with the cold lord as he followed. The flames had calmed down almost completely from lack of things to burn. The billowing smoke coming from the rooftops and canopies of trees was beginning to disperse but was still very much visable in the now dimming light of the evening.

"Then what shall I do, hawk?" Sesshoumaru's voice rumbled after a few minutes, "I merely keep my lands in place with these creatures. I am no watchdog." His eyes slanted in the direction of the eastern prince as he formed his cloud of youki and sailed into the sky. Adjusting his pelt to fit more comfortably on his shoulder, he turned to look down at the other daiyoukai who lept into the air and floated beside his companion before falling down and bounding back up again.

"I suppose you have a point, even though I cannot quite see what it is." Masayoshi rolled his glinting emerald eyes, "But it is not good to just let them fester like this with no help. I know you are not one for compassion, _usually_." The last word made Sesshoumaru's clawed hand twitch at his hip. It did not help that the eastern lord knew of his past with his young ward. Every mention of it irked him to no end.

Masayoshi kept his gaze even and ahead of them both as he once again vaulted himself into the air to keep pace with the ebbing youki cloud of the inu lord.

"That much is obvious here." The hawk lord finished, looking down onto the trees as the night wind rustled their branches in a calming manner.

Sesshoumaru snorted and turned his head upwards and away at the last remark the hawk prince had made.

"You know nothing of me. Do not make such whimsical accusations."

"Oh touchy, touchy. " Masayoshi's mouth twisted into a slight grin, "Forgive me ever so much, milord." Masayoshi's taunting tone and now gleaming smile earned an irritated growl from Sesshoumaru who was just about fed up with his ally for the day. They would have to travel for a few days still to return to the palace and he did not look forward to their trip. Silently, he prayed that more snake youkai would appear so he could distract himself from talking about things like compassion, and humans.

Kagome's feet hurt. They really _hurt. _

She could feel every bone in her feet ache. Every muscle screamed out in agony for her to rest, or to just take a moments pause to let them re-adjust themselves within her skin. She tried to stretch her toes out within her tabi but it wasn't helping the dull and shooting ache that shot up her legs each step she continued to take.

The group had been walking on the main traveling roads that would lead into the western lands soon. Their pace had been quick because of the urgency to reach the village that was supposedly being attacked by snake youkai. But even so, the walk itself had taken them days to achieve. Kagome didn't really expect to find much a challenge in the youkai if there even were any, as most villagers who told her of menacing and horrendous demons usually threw the truth out of proportion.

Extremely out of proportion.

Especially since her travels with Inuyasha and the others in the past, her fear of youkai had surprisingly gone down ever since she first stepped foot in the sengoku jidai. It worried her in a way to think about it because she thought deep down that she should be afraid of the creatures in situations of certain death. Her unexpected courage always got the better of her, and sometimes she wished she was more of a coward because of it.

The day was waning down as they reached a small clearing of trees that were slowly beginning to dry out from the approaching summer weather. It was late spring and though the leaves were bright and vibrant with life, Kagome knew that the intensely humid and sweltering summers would wilt some of the younger trees if they weren't near any springs or rivers. She trudged along with her group as the partially dry grass that poked through the cracks in the dry dirt of the road crunched under her feet. She glanced up at the trees as she walked, staring into the deep green color of the leaves on each branch. The heat of the late afternoon sun bore into her flesh like daggers.

Even after so many years of traveling down roads like this, she still didn't like the uncomfortable heat that plagued them. Having her traditional miko garb on certainly didn't help. The thick cloth stuck to her skin and held more heat in than she'd like. But when she wore this outfit she got less stares from passersby, and was more inclined to receive directions, advice, and general hospitality when looking like a regular priestess of the era. Though in the back of her mind, she honestly didn't care what people thought. She ran around in her school uniform all those years, so why would now change anything?

She shrugged to herself just before her nose collided with a firm and armored broad back.

"Wha-" her hand flew up to her now red nose, rubbing it furiously and glaring at the offender, who was a very apologetic Yoshino. Bowing with his head slightly, and holding a palm up to his face to avoid getting hit if that were to happen.

"Ah crap! Sorry Kagome!" he chucked, smiling nervously he patted her on the head. His gaze then swiftly returned to what was in front of them that caused him to stop so quickly.

Kagome leaned around to his left, peering ahead, and saw a massive gathering of animals, or what looked like a trading cart on the road. Three oxes, four cows, a mule carrying supplies, and many goats tied to the back of a rickety wooden cart were stopped in the middle of the dusty sun-beaten path. Two men, who she assumed were the owners of said cart, were arguing profusely in angered tones about something she was too far away to hear.

Yoshino cleared his throat and turned to his sister, who was then sliding off of the side of Kirara, who mewled and transformed into her smaller size.

"What do you think they're arguing about?" Yoshino gestured with his thumb at the men who appeared to be in their late 40s, no doubt worn from farming and the like. They looked like regular villagers and didn't seem to be dangerous from afar. Their clothes were shaggy and worn, so they certainly weren't thieves or bandits. Whether they were or not, though, Kagome's group already had them outnumbered so she wasn't afraid to approach them whatsoever.

"I'm not sure. Should we check it out? I mean they're blocking the way so it's not like we can just shove our way through," Kagome chimed from behind his back with an exasperated look on her face.

"I agree, Kagome-sama," came Yoshiko's quiet and soft voice, her bow now more tightly wrapped around her shoulder, she sauntered off ahead of them to speak with the men, her bound black hair slightly bouncing in the breeze. Kagome thought it best to join her, so she quickly stepped around Yoshino who simply looked on as he also made his way over to the men who had now raised their voices a few more octaves.

"**IT WAS TWO GOATS AND ONE CHICKEN**! **I ONLY SEE TWO GOATS**!" one of the men bellowed, his bulky arms waving in the other mans face who was smaller and very thin. The taller man had a thick and greyed beard, his belly sticking out farther than it should. His posture suggested he didn't get much exercise. The smaller man, though, was as thin as a twig and shook like a rodent with fear. He had some stubble on his face and a very thin mustache atop his upper lip. His hair wasn't grey like the other more bulky man's hair. It was a very dusty black. The more bulky man's face was crunched up into an unpleasant shape as he vented to the thinner man continuously.

"Well don't look at me! I was the one driving the cart!" the smaller man yelped, his whole body immediately reacting and his legs side-stepping to the left to avoid an attempted smack to the head by the larger man.

Kagome and Yoshiko had just reached them as both of the men were about to begin a tussle and the blue-eyed priestess' hands came up to stop them both. They glanced in her direction, wide-eyed, as if they had just now only realized her and her companions presence. She was quite smaller than the men, but her determined expression and firm demeanor stopped them in their actions quite fast.

"Okay, woah woah now," Kagome huffed, shoving the men's offending arms out of her face. They were so stunned that she had appeared so suddenly, their tussling arms had just hung in the air as she had begun to speak. "There's no need to get physical."

"Excuse me?" the thinner man looked at Kagome, his face full of absolute and genuine confusion.

"Is there any way we can aid with this problem?" Yoshiko's smooth voice came from behind Kagome. She ignored the thinner man's remark. Kagome was simply staring down the two men with critical eyes.

"**Whatare you two fighting about?"** The taller, blue-eyed priestess asked in a now calmer, albeit firmer, tone.

"HE LOST OUR CHICKEN!" the larger man screamed; his voice now going hoarse. He pointed to a thin and rusted cage attatched to the old cart just beside them. The latch on the side of the small cage was wide open and obviously was missing an animal that was supposed to be inside of it.

"Your-" Kagomes voice cut out, and then back in with a very exasperated tone, "CHICKEN?" she scoffed, planting a firm hand on her face.

Yoshiko smiled wryly, patting her friend on the back, as she heard Yoshinos small chuckle from a few feet away. "My, my." The smaller priestess cooed, laughing to herself elegantly.

"YES. OUR CHICKEN." The larger man angrily stated, waving a threatening hand in front of the smaller mans face again.

The sun was beginning to fully set and the horizon was beginning to turn a dark shade of orange. If they wanted to help these ridiculous tradesmen, Kagome would like to get it over with very soon.

"Okay. Fine. You lost your chicken." Kagome sighed. "Would you like us priestesses to help you find it? It shouldn't have gotten far."

Yoshiko nodded to her statement as the men kept looking on at Kagome with a newly found expression of glee.

"You'll help!? Why thank you priestess! Thank you!" The thin man replied, bowing excessively to them both.

"When did you last see the creature?" Yoshiko smiled, her hands now neatly placed in front of her.

"Well-…" the smaller man stuttered, just now noticing Yoshiko's presence fully, "um- I…," his face turned a few slight shades of pink as he stared at Yoshiko blankly, who simply giggled at his obvious and sudden bashfulness in seeing such a beautiful woman. "I- th-think it might have jumped off back by that bridge on the valley overpass…" his shaky finger gestured, as his voice slowly drifted out of coherency.

"We shall attempt to search for it there, then." Yoshiko's smile widened, nodding slightly. Her hands now played with the hem of her haori sleeves. Kagome turned back to the men after giving a roll of her eyes to Yoshiko. She didn't know why the girl insisted on being so overly nice sometimes. She was also painfully oblivious to this man's sudden affections of her too. Her innocence sometimes scared Kagome.

"Very well, we'll find your chicken." The taller priestess sighed, "Will you wait here while we search? It shouldn't take us very long seeing as we have Kirara." Kagome stated, turning to point with her shoulder at the small firecat now perched atop Yoshiko's shoulder. The men stared on blankly at the firecat, obviously not having seen such a creature before. Kirara mewed in agreement and hopped off to the cart, sniffing a certain area of where the chicken supposedly had been before its escape before bounding off down the road in the direction of the overpass.

After finishing a short inquiry about the chicken's description and location, the group sauntered off down the road and waved off to the two men who now began to set up a small camp while they waited for the traveler's return. The chicken was obviously something they relied heavily on to sell, otherwise they would have just kept on down the road. Kagome assumed it was only important to them because they looked to be raggedy and poor, and the funds from just one animal would presumably feed more than enough villagers or family members back at their homes.

As they all reached the bridge that the two men described, Kagome looked down into what seemed to be a small creek running below it. The bridge itself was very worn and old, but the foundations were made with thick moss-covered wood, so there wasn't much of a chance of them falling through it. The bridge itself wasn't even ten feet from the creek below so any sort of chicken would easily be able to jump from such a height. She gestured to her friends, and they split up in seconds, each finding their own direction in the area to walk along and search for the missing bird.

"I honestly cannot believe I am looking for a chicken," Kagome grumbled to herself with an irritated scrunch in her face after four or five minutes of searching. She remembered all of the mundane tasks her and Inuyasha used to do between their intense battles with youkai and giggled to herself. This wouldn't be the strangest of the tasks, that was for sure.

She rustled through some small but thick bushes that lay across the bridges edge on both ends of the wooden structure, making sure not to miss any small openings below rocks or treetrunks, but there was no sign of the feathery pest. She stood up fully from bending over so long to peer between shrubbery and stretched her back.

A loud crack sounded from her lower back and she winced. She wasn't cut out for chicken hunting.

After the group searched and searched all around the creek and above the bridge's wooden surface, they had spent almost half an hour out in the woods calling for this chicken, which Kagome noticed, hadn't had a name. She didn't really care that it didn't, but it probably wasn't helping to just scream "HERE, CHICKEN!" over and over into the now darkened wilderness.

They eventually gave up their search, even with Kirara, the demon cat didn't manage to sniff out any sign of the creature, and they headed back for the two scruffy men, who would no doubt be disappointed in finding out they wasted their time when no chicken would be returned to them. Kagome was even a little disappointed with herself, but she also knew it wasn't a good idea to be wandering the forest at night in search of anything. She wasn't that familiar with this area and would rather not risk a youkai attack with these two tradesmen so close by.

Kagome lead her friends and the small demon cat who was bounding along her side through the shadowy forest back and onto the road. It was almost too dark to see anything now, and they would no doubt have to make camp before they could continue their travels once more. The priestess figured that they would reach the west at least by tomorrow night, and then they would ask nearby villagers and travelers the whereabouts of this so-called "snake youkai infestation."

As the group padded up to the two men who were grumbling over what piece of meat to split for their meal over a small and measly crackling fire, they looked up to notice the two priestesses with dejected looks on their faces.

"Don't tell me you didn't find him…"the smaller man said, taking a slow swig of water from a leather pouch at his side; his saddened look making Yoshiko reply with a slow nod in his direction.

"I'm very sorry. We looked as hard as we could, but the creature did not make an appearance." Yoshiko spoke softly, smiling sweetly to the thinner man as if it would help her apology gain more favor.

He immediately broke out into a fit of blushing and stuttering as Yoshiko giggled and began to chat with him off to the side while enjoying small bites of the meal he was eager to share with his newly found womanly companion. Meanwhile, Kagome had reached into her pack and handed the larger man a small purse of coins.

His eyes widened as he looked up at the miko, whos expression was gentle, but unfeeling.

"P-priestess!?" he choked on the food that now slid uncomfortably down his throat. The purse she handed him was worth more than ten oxes alone. "I cannot take this! You must be a fool to give me such a thing!" he bellowed, wiping the dripping juice of the meat from his ragged chin.

"Don't worry about it. It's the least we could do after not finding your chicken, and you guys look like you need it." She laughed as the man leaned backwards with a wry frown on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, placing the purse of coins in his back pocket as he reached for another piece of now burnt meat from over the fire. He wouldn't complain; Kagome knew this. He needed the hospitality and she was glad to give it.

The group of travelers and their new tradesman friends shared a meal and some campfire stories of youkai and overpriced fruits as the night went on. They discussed all sorts of things and by the time everyone had fallen asleep, they were all content and their bellies were full. Kagome had even fallen asleep quite quickly, even though the sniffling of the goats that were tied up to the cart nearby had kept her awake for a few minutes, the meal and the companionship had gotten through to her on this day and she slept like a baby. Kirara laid nuzzled into the crook of her warm neck as she slept, and the stars twinkled above the camp, the fire now slowly sputtering out as the night went on.

Though, not everything in the vicinity was sleeping.

Through the darkened quietness of the forest, a rustling could be heard by the animals that were tied to the tradesmans cart, as they stirred from their slumber almost instantly. The forest had gotten to be dead silent in mere moments.

A pair of bright yellow eyes shone in the trees, and one of the oxes ears perked up, as it began to grunt and huff with worry, alerting the other animals to its now distressed state.

Something was watching them. The animals knew this, but the unsuspecting slumbering travelers did not. Though the cries from the animals were now appearant, it wasn't enough to wake them from their deep sleep. The cries of the animals slowly died out into the night as the rustling in the grass became louder and more near.

The sound of snapping ropes echoed out into the forest as the animals pulled themselves free of their bonds, running down the road in a direction far away from the menacing energy now coming from the darkness.

Not only was something watching them, but it was following the group as well.

Kagome's face was brushed ever so slightly with a clawed hand.

She sighed, leaning into its warmth, and comfort. A smile had spread across her face before she could realize it, and the sun shone through the gaps in the treetops as she lay against a tree, gently leaning on a bright red haori. The roughness of the now worn fabric didn't bother her anymore. It felt like home when she touched it. It was beyond anything she could describe when her slender fingers made contact with it.

She felt the weight of a firm chin on her head and snuggled into the embrace of tan and strong arms. The claws on his hands now running up her arms and to her cheeks, she shivered at the sensation and her whole body tensed in pure bliss. Her head leaned back, and she felt the soft warmness of his lips against hers. She sighed into his kiss and returned it wholeheartedly. Small streams of sunlight hit the tresses of silver-flecked locks now grazing her own, as the wind melded them together in this one pure moment. His arms embraced her tightly, the grip almost crushing in its intensity.

She opened her eyes a fraction and gazed upon his perfect features.

How could she love someone this much? How could she become so wholly happy when by his side? Her heart swelled and filled to the brim as he kissed her lower lip gently when she pulled back from his kiss. She gazed into his eyes lovingly, and he returned the gaze with a slow grin.

This is what happiness felt like.

For once in her life, Kagome felt whole.

Tears streamed down her closed eye-lids as Kagome dreamed of her past. The trees nearby swayed and creaked in the breeze, as if they ached and suffered for her lost love. She rustled in her blankets and tossed all through her slumber, her body dripping with sweat even though the night had cooled down the sweltering temperatures of the day that had now passed.

The memories haunted her even when she wasn't aware of it. The relentless taste of her first pure love was too sweet to ignore. Her mind simply drifted there when she fell asleep, because that was the only place where she could see him again. It was where she could see him laugh. Where she could see him smile; where she could see him **alive.**

It was the only place where they could be happy.

That was what happiness felt like.

The group woke with a loud startling bang. Yoshino was the first one to shoot up out of his propped position against a nearby tree, as he looked around and noticed the now empty cart that was supposed to be full of animals. He scrambled to his feet deftly, and shook the two men awake from their beds at the now ashy fireside.

"WHAT!?" came a loud yelp, as the bulky man noticed what had happened in the night. This awoke the two slumbering priestesses immediately and they sleepily glanced up at the now panicking and desperate men who were searching high and low around the cart for their missing animals. It took Kagome a few minutes to notice, as her head stung with a now disappearing migrane. She stood slowly and glanced up at the empty cart.

"What happened?" She yawned hurredly, helping Yoshiko pack up her bedding and supplies. Yoshiko simply looked on with worry at the two frantic men.

"I don't know! I just woke up and it was like this! Oh gods, what am I going to do!?" the bulky man wailed, his arms going limp as the thinner man nodded sadly and patted his back, only to earn him a smack on the back of the head.

"Well they couldn't have gotten far, right?" Kagome was now finishing up packing her supplies because she figured these two men would want her to go looking for the animals. She wouldn't object, but she also would rather not go on another fruitless goose-chase. She secured her bow onto her shoulder and gestured to Yoshino to grab her bedding as she began folding it. He nodded hurredly and aided her as the two men paced the cart, no doubt trying to think up a plan for saving their escaped livestock.

"W-well I mean we could always just go back into town and ask if they returned?" the thinner man suggested, looking nervously at their cart. It didn't seem that it could move without the help of an ox or horse to pull it. He worried his lip as he lifted the bindings and straps used to secure an ox in place to lead the cart. The bulky man was now breathing heavily as he leaned over the cart with both hands on his face.

"THIS DAY COULDN'T BE WORSE ALREADY!" he bellowed, waving his heavy and worn arms in the air.

Yoshiko looked on with a saddened look as she went to open her mouth, Kagome spoke before her.

"Well, look, the worst that could happen is that they run back to the village you came from. I doubt a demon would eat them…or something." Kagome began to mutter, as she remembered seeing many a youkai in favor of eating livestock for snacks. She had to think up a plan fast before these men suggested another trip she didn't have time for.

"OH!" The thinner man yelped, his position going upright almost instantaneously. He pointed to the firecat demon at Yoshiko's feet. "What about him!?" He exclaimed, getting the more bulky man's attention with a nudge. "He can pull carts, right?" The scrawny man questioned, in Yoshiko's direction now.

"Well, yes, but-"Yoshiko looked down at the firecat, who simply mewled up at her, and they both turned their gaze to a stunned Kagome.

"Ah…I guess yeah she could, but-"Kagome was cut off mid-sentence by the larger man.

"**THEN ITS SETTLED! HA!"** he chuckled with a boom, slapping Kagome on the back with a firm palm, almost knocking her down on her knees. She adjusted herself firmly and gave a stern gaze to the man who was now questioning Yoshiko as to how the demon cat transforms. Yoshiko was sending wry smiles to Kagome as she glared at the man.

"Ugh. FINE. Whatever. I don't even care anymore."Kagome grumbled. "Kirara, is this okay with you? I don't want these weirdos to treat you like some slave-animal." Kagome questioned the firecat as she bloomed into her full form, flames spouting around them, causing both of the men to jump back in excited surprise. Just because this solved the problem of pulling the cart, didn't mean Kagome wanted to boss the firecat around. She was a close friend, and the blue-eyed priestess didn't believe in mistreating her.

Kirara mewed approvingly to her question, which then gave the two men pause before they jumped into setting up their cart equipment to now fit a massive firecat demon. Kagome sighed and helped Yoshino load the rest of their supplies onto the cart, when Kagome stopped in her tracks and approached the larger man who was taken aback by her sudden ferocity.

"Look here, old man. I know I've helped you, and all, but we were on a trip to the west. And we plan to get there on time. I'll agree to help you two if you drop us off at this village." She pulled out a small map of the area scribbled on a piece of parchment and pointed to the location of the village. The two men nodded at her with happy faces.

"Why of course, of course, that's perfectly fine, priestess!" The thinner man patted her haori sleeve gently, and they returned to their task of hooking Kirara up to the cart some more. Kagome looked back to her twin companions and they both smiled at her cautiously. They all knew that it would be bad to bring these men into territory they didn't really know of, but like Kagome had thought previously, what could be so bad about a few snake youkai if they did happen to come across some of them? She decided she wouldn't tell the two tradesmen lest they forgo the whole deal entirely.

Kagome was tired of walking, and she needed to rest, even if it was on a stupid old cart with two very loud, and obnoxious tradesmen.

So the group set off, further into the direction of the west. They would reach the borders of it in a few hours, and by late afternoon they would reach the village. Kagome only hoped that she was right in her speculation, and that they indeed had nothing to worry about. But she still couldn't help the nagging feeling she had in the back of her mind when she thought of her worries. Something was wrong, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it.

And there you have it! Please let me know what you think! I am currently 1/3 done with chapter seven, so I should be posting it fairly soon. (^^)!

-Vsama


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